Patrick is now in her fourth full season of stock car racing with SHR and holds 21st in the Cup standings at present.

A sixth place at Atlanta last year is her best result in the top class to date.

“Being able to re-sign with [co-owner] Tony [Stewart] and Stewart-Haas is very important to me,” Patrick said.

“I really, really do feel like family here and there’s nowhere else I want to be.

“I’m just fortunate that I didn’t have to look anywhere else and get to stay.”

Patrick’s long-time sponsor GoDaddy, which backed her since her IndyCar days, announced in April that it was ending its involvement, but it has been replaced by food company Nature’s Bakery.

“This is really the first year that I’ve had to wonder or worry what I’m going to do in the next year,” she said.

“I’ve been extremely fortunate in my career to not have to worry about that as one deal rolled into the next and I’ve had a lot of comfort over the decade.”

Stewart declined to disclose the exact length of Patrick’s contract extension but he said the agreement with both her and the new sponsor was “not a short-term deal by any means”.

He added: “Watching her from her IndyCar days, I realised how big a talent she is – more so than a marketing tool.

“We’re proud of her progress and what she does in a race car.

“She’s probably the most detail-orientated racing driver I’ve ever worked with. She’s a great asset to this organisation.”

Patrick is part of a four-driver line-up in SHR’s Chevrolets, alongside Stewart, champion Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch.