Danica Patrick to Make Stock Car Debut at Daytona

Conceding that it was the "worst kept secret" in racing, IndyCar star Danica Patrick formally announced plans Tuesday afternoon to run a limited stock car schedule in 2010 for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports team beginning with the Feb. 6 ARCA Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

Patrick will run a part-time Nationwide Series schedule in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, primarily focusing on events before and after her fulltime IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, which begins in March and ends in October.

Patrick made the announcement with GoDaddy.com Chairman Bob Parsons and JR Motorsports' new part-owner Kelley Earnhardt Elledge. Earnhardt Jr. said last week during NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series Champions Week that he had purposely stayed away from all negotiations and details of the Patrick deal, instead leaving that to his sister.

"As a female team owner, I know we're going to have a lot of fun and rock the world,'' Elledge said.

When pressed for the last time she had actually driven a stock car, Patrick smiled and said she could "barely remember," but thinks it was seven or eight years ago in an old Nationwide Series (formerly called Busch Series) car at tiny Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

"It was good fun,'' Patrick said. "I was definitely smiling that day.''

There is still no firm number of 2010 events planned for Patrick to enter, although Elledge said more details will be given in the coming weeks. She did confirm that the Earnhardts' cousin and another new member of the JR Motorsports ownership group, Tony Eury Jr., would serve as crew chief. He last worked as Earnhardt's crew chief in the Cup Series before being replaced mid-season by Lance McGrew.

The ARCA race is a sort of single-A training ground for NASCAR and a traditional starting off point for new stock car drivers at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. If Patrick impresses NASCAR officials in that race, she could get the go-ahead for the Nationwide Series race held a week later at Daytona.

Patrick is going to participate in the ARCA preseason test Dec. 18-20 at Daytona.

"I'm very excited, we've all been working hard on this. .. and I'm relieved not to have to skirt these questions anymore,'' Patrick said. "Actually, I'm starting to get a little nervous now that it's time to hold up my end of the deal.''

Patrick made no bones about the demands of driving in two competitive series or the learning curve she'll face behind the wheel of the larger, heavier stock cars.

"Obviously she'll be in a competitive car,'' said Elledge, adding that she thinks it's reasonable for Patrick to be a top-15 driver at some point this season.

"Hopefully people won't be so quick to judge and will give her the same amount of time to learn as others have had.''