UPDATE: (3:55 p.m. ET): In a press conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday, Patrick announced she’s retiring as a full-time NASCAR driver. She confirmed she plans to run in next year’s Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500.
ORIGINAL STORY: Danica Patrick might not be done racing in NASCAR — or even IndyCar, for that matter.
Although all reports indicate she’s had no luck lining up a full-time ride next season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Patrick is putting together a plan to run in the two biggest events in American racing, USA TODAY’s A.J. Perez reports.
The races? The Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.
The 35-year-old is exploring a number of options, according to Perez, as she’s also in talks to join NBC Sports. But the news of her potentially running both the “Great American Race” and the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing” is obviously the more intriguing development.
Of course, Patrick is no stranger to either event. She owns the highest finish for a woman in both races: a third-place finish in the 2009 Indy 500 and an eighth-place finish in the 2013 Daytona 500. Her victory in the 2008 Japan 300 remains the only win by a female racer in Verizon IndyCar Series history.
Despite being arguably the most accomplished woman in American stock-car and open-wheel racing history, Patrick has never achieved a NASCAR Cup win and will be replaced by Aric Almirola in the No. 10 Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of the 2017 season.
