Danica Patrick Sixth in Stock Car Debut

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Danica Patrick's sixth-place finish in her stock car debut Saturday night didn't earn her a trophy, but something much more useful: respect and credit.

She was running 24th with 19 laps to go and charged through the field like a veteran NASCAR racer, not an IndyCar driver turning her first competitive laps in a stock car.

By all accounts, her effort equaled the hype. And there has been plenty of hype.

"I think she showed us she's able to drive... I expected her to do well,'' said Kelley Earnhardt, co-owner of JR Motorsports, which fielded Patrick's car Saturday and will do so again in at least 12 NASCAR Nationwide races. "I am ecstatic. I couldn't be happier.''

Patrick's first day of superspeedway school included avoiding several spectacular multi-car crashes that have come to be expected in the wild ARCA Series races at Daytona International Speedway. But most impressive wasn't that she ran as high as fifth place early in the race, but the way Patrick responded to adversity later in it.

Contact between her and driver Nelson Piquet Jr. -- a former Formula One driver in his first stock car race -- sent Patrick's No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevy spinning across the track and into the infield, but she collected the car as it skated across the grass and made her way right back on track.

Pit stops to inspect the damage put her back in the field and that's where the gumption met the metal.

"She went through a lot tonight -- we put four tires on, we took fuel, spun out, we went to the rear, we came back up through it -- you name it, we did it," said her crew chief Tony Eury Jr.

"I would rather have it like this instead of running single file up front all day. She saw a lot of different pieces of the puzzle tonight.''

For her part, Patrick was clearly invigorated, excited and even proud after the race. Through all the hours of press interviews since she announced her stock car program in November, she was always cautiously optimistic, careful not to raise unrealistic expectations. After all, she is scattering her stock car starts among a full IZOD IndyCar Series season.

"I'd like to do better than just finish (here), but I don't know how it'll go,'' Patrick told reporters Thursday. "I don't think I can put a number on it. I never do that. The idea is to improve on myself all weekend, improve the car and see where it shakes out.''

An appropriate forecast considering the E-ticket experience she got.

"It was a lot of fun,'' Patrick said after making her way to her team trailer surrounded by security and a mob of 20 photographers and television cameras.

Of her off-course excursion she explained, "People were checking up and he (Piquet) was dropping back, but I was there.

"I couldn't go below the yellow line so I just held my line,'' Patrick said. "I could either back off and wuss out or hold my line. I held my line.''

"I learned a lot tonight. I learned how to use my fenders and I felt the fenders too. It was so cool. I am so proud of this team and everyone's hard work.''

And so now comes the next big decision.

Patrick said she would wait to decide whether to make her NASCAR debut in the Feb. 13 Nationwide Series race at Daytona or hold off until the Feb. 20 race at California Speedway, where she has definitely committed to competing. Patrick said earlier this week that decision would hinge on how comfortable she was in the race car, not a particular finishing position.

JR Motorsports primary Nationwide Series driver Kelly Bires is running for the championship this year and will be in the car should Patrick not chose to race at Daytona.

Judging by Eury's comments after the race, he wouldn't be surprised to see her in the car next weekend.

"We're ready,'' he said. "It's just a matter of if we get a phone call that says 'yes,' we'll be ready. If we get a phone call that says 'no' we'll change seats and be back down here.''

Patrick said she will announce her decision on Monday.

"It's totally her decision,'' Earnhardt said. "But right now she's probably thinking, 'Hell yeah, I want to.' ''