Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Danica Patrick formally announced her intentions to race full-time in NASCAR in 2012 but stopped short of committing to run in the Daytona 500 in February.
Appearing at a crowded news conference Thursday at the headquarters of her longtime sponsor, Go Daddy, Patrick revealed what was widely reported in the last week — that she will race a full-time Nationwide Series schedule and a limited Sprint Cup schedule in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.
Patrick has raced in both the IndyCar Series and the Nationwide series this season and last season. She has raced full-time in the IndyCar Series since 2005. She became the first woman to win a major open-wheel racing event when she went to Victory Lane in Motegi, Japan, in 2008.
Her success in IndyCar has made her a national celebrity and one of the most recognizable sports figures in America.
“She’s got it all … she’s a competitor, she’s focused, she’s a risk taker, she’s tenacious, she’s got business savvy and look at what she’s already accomplished before ever driving a full NASCAR schedule,” Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons said Thursday.
The Charlotte Observer reported that Patrick will debut in the Sprint Cup Series in the Daytona 500, but Patrick said Thursday that her first race hasn’t been determined.
Daytona International Speedway president Joie Chitwood told ESPN.com’s David Newton that he is optimistic Patrick will make her Cup debut at Daytona.
Sources told ESPN.com that Patrick is working on a deal that will allow her to drive in the Indianapolis 500, but that will not be addressed at the news conference.
Patrick will drive in the Nationwide races with her current stock car team, JR Motorsports, owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr.. In Sprint Cup she will be with Stewart-Haas Racing, co-owned by two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart.
–ESPN
