DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. –Danica Patrick announced Thursday she will be sitting out of the Indy 500 again this year. Appearing at the first day of Daytona testing, the former Indy car driver appeared beside her new boss Tony Stewart as she prepared for her first full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.
“I can confirm to you today that I will not be doing the Indy 500. I am just going to do the Coke 600,” she said. “The team and I decided to focus on the Cup. It’s going to be plenty of work as it is.”
Patrick also talked about the rumors that she would be racing part-time in the NASCAR Nationwide series for another team this season. Patrick competed in 10 Nationwide races in 2012 with her best finish, 17, coming in her final race at Phoenix.
“I know there have been some reports that have come out about running for Turner (Scott Motorsports),” Patrick said. “We are definitely talking to them trying to figure it out and we are definitely working on that, but there has been nothing signed yet. The exact dates, the races and the sponsor have yet to be confirmed for all that. We are working on it, but I would like to. I think that would be a good weekend to do it.”
For now Patrick is focused on her Cup career and getting used to NASCAR’s new Gen 6 racecars.
“I couldn’t even tell the difference between a Nationwide and a Cup car here,” Patrick said. “It’s pretty straight forward here at Daytona. I know that what the most important thing is. I feel as with any team whether it is racing or another sport is that the team itself is critical. It’s important to have good energy together, understand each other well and work well together.”
“I think we are all really confident going into this year,” she added. “We just have to be optimistic, keep our heads down and stay positive when it gets tough.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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