Danica will make her Nationwide debut at Daytona

Danica Patrick is back, the team confirmed Monday morning, saying she will run in the Nationwide race Saturday at Daytona.

Patrick was scheduled to run 12 Nationwide races this season but purposely left the Daytona Nationwide race off the list in case she elected not to do it, depending on how well she felt after her ARCA race.

She finished 6th in the ARCA race in her stock-car debut on Saturday, recovering from a spin after she was hit by another competitor. The ARCA race was a good first step for her in gaining experience in stock cars. She asked crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and her spotter several questions during the race from basic things such as where was the light indicating if pit road is open or not located to if she should make a move at a particular time in the race.

That Patrick finished sixth in the ARCA race is not a surprise. She should have. She had one of the better cars in the field. The thing was she just didn't have the experience. Obviously, the only way to get experience is to go do something, no doubt a reason for her decision to compete in the Nationwide race on Saturday. At issue Saturday will be the field around her will be more experienced in stock cars and more talented driving those types of cars. You never know what is going to happen in a restrictor-plate race but to think she can pull out a sixth-place finish again would be a difficult double. Of course, that means little compared to her logging laps and getting used to racing these cars.

"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,'' team co-owner Kelley Earnhardt said in the statement announcing Patrick's intentions. "She has worked extremely hard during the past two months for this opportunity. Her dedication and work ethic is infectious.''

Said Patrick: "Racing in the Nationwide Series race was my goal during the 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 Speedweeks to end just yet. I want more racing.''

The main goal for her Saturday will be to just run laps, gain experience and not cause a crash. The Nationwide race with its better list of drivers will be much tougher for her. While she might emerge with another big smile and declare she had fun after her Nationwide debut, one would suspect she will have a more difficult time. And that's not a bad thing. As you progress in any job, things get more difficult. Doing it at a gradual pace can help get through those obstacles whether it's racing or some other desk job.

Remember, this is a two-year plan to see if she can compete in Cup. Progress is the key word early on. We'll get to see take another step in that journey this weekend.

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