The official announcement was made by JR motorsports General Manager Kelley Earnhardt and published on today (Feb. 8) on the JR Motorsports Web site.
“To be the one driving that Go Daddy car at Daytona means a lot to me,” Patrick said on in the team’s press release. “Racing in the Nationwide Series race was my goal during this entire two-month preparation process, but we wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do. The ARCA race was a blast, and I’m not ready for my first Daytona Speedweek to end just yet. I want more racing.”
Team co-owners Rick Hendrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Eury Jr. met with Patrick after her successful run at last Saturday’s ARCA race at Daytona, and decided she was ready to step up to the next level of competition.
“I think Danica proved to everyone that she can compete in stock cars at a high level, and right now seat time is extremely important,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “She has worked extremely hard during the past two months for this opportunity. Her dedication and work ethic is infectious.”
Patrick is slated to drive in Nationwide races at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. on Feb. 20 and Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway on Feb. 27.
In March Patrick returns to IndyCars, driving for Andretti Automotive in the Sao Paulo Indy 300 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on March 14.
