Danica Patrick in limbo with Go Daddy

Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY | USATODAY

Caution lights are flashing for racing star Danica Patrick's lucrative gig with Go Daddy.

The advertising future of Go Daddy's go-to girl appears to be in limbo as Go Daddy is about to announce the hiring of a new ad agency, Deutsch NY, which will have freedom to drop the sexy racing star from the Web domain company's Super Bowl ad lineup.

Patrick, 30, has starred in more Super Bowl spots – 10 – than any other celebrity, including Michael Jordan and Cindy Crawford. Overall, she's appeared in 22 Go Daddy commercials since 2007 and is believed to earn upwards of $1 million annually for those commercial efforts. But Patrick has not appeared in a Go Daddy spot for months, and the company says it has no current plans to feature her in any spots at least through January.

"The question at hand is: Is she in the Super Bowl or not?" says Barb Rechterman, chief marketing officer at Go Daddy. "What we're trying to do is redefine sexy to be a small-business owner running a successful business. So we want to explore options of how we make our advertising new." Go Daddy also has had recent management shake-ups, and its sky-high growth rate has come down to earth.

At issue: When to unhitch from a possibly falling star? This is what every company must decide that's been lucky enough to enjoy a good run with a celebrity spokesperson. There's no simple answer.

The new agency's CEO, whose Los Angeles office created much-celebrated Super Bowl ads for Volkswagen, says while Patrick has been good for the Go Daddy brand, she's not a necessity. "We've done terrific spots without Danica," says Val DiFebo, CEO of Deutsch NY. She was referring to two Go Daddy ads that ran during the Summer Games and three others that were recently filmed.

Patrick, whose contract with Go Daddy runs through 2013, was unavailable for comment Wednesday. She was in Kansas City at testing session for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. But in a statement provided by Go Daddy, she said, "I absolutely hope I am in the new Go Daddy Super Bowl commercials. I don't think it would feel quite like a Super Bowl if we don't do the commercials again this year."

But Patrick's Q Score, which tracks likability, has recently been heading south, falling from 29 in 2010 to 19 in 2012. The average race car driver rates a 13 Q Score. "It raises a warning signal to evaluate the strength of her emotional connection with consumers," says Henry Schafer, executive vice president at The Q Scores Co.

The fact that a new agency has been asked to review Patrick's Super Bowl future raises red flags, says Kate Newlin, a brand strategist. "It was a relationship that worked for both parties for a long time, but they didn't say, 'till death do us part,' " says Newlin. "If Go Daddy is feeling inhibited about where it can go with her, it has to sign the divorce papers."