ATS Sports Blog

The Danica Patrick circus at Daytona International Speedway will continue with the IndyCar Series driver making her NASCAR debut in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race.

“To be the one driving that [GoDaddy.com] car at Daytona means a lot to me,” Patrick said Monday in a news release. “Racing in the Nationwide Series was my goal during this entire two-month preparation process, but we wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do.”

Patrick made the decision after finishing sixth in her ARCA debut Saturday at Daytona. She will be guaranteed a spot in the field using the points from CJM Racing’s No. 11 team that finished 15th in points last season.

Said co-owner Kelley Earnhardt: “Danica proved to everyone she can compete in stock cars at a high level, and right now seat time is extremely important. She has worked extremely hard during the past two months for this opportunity. Her dedication and work ethic is infectious.”

Crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who initially was against Patrick beginning her limited Nationwide schedule at Daytona, didn’t hesitate to give a yes vote after the ARCA event.

Sponsor GoDadddy.com also was for it, according to multiple sources.

Not everybody was, though. Several crew chiefs in the Sprint Cup garage said Patrick would be better off waiting until the second race at California to jump into Nationwide, pointing to the potential for disaster running nose-to-tail in large packs.

Despite her performance in the ARCA race, Patrick still hesitated to run close to the car ahead of hers, a necessity in restrictor plate racing to remain competitive.

Patrick’s biggest reservation about Daytona was keeping JR Motorsports teammate Kelly Bires out of the event and perhaps costing a driver competing for the championship valuable points if she makes a mistake.

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