ARCA boosts Nationwide recycling

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Nothing from Patrick, reps about Daytona

AVONDALE, Ariz. Although there is still time to change plans, Automobile Racing Club of America series officials confirmed Friday they have not received an entry for IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick.

Patrick is rumored to be interested in running the 2010 ARCA season opener at Daytona. There has also been discussion of her participation in a December testing session the series has scheduled at the 2.5-mile speedway in advance of February's racing.

Numerous reports have had Patrick destined for a mixed schedule in ARCA and NASCAR Nationwide Series competition, which would likely include the ARCA season opener so that she could gain superspeedway experience.

Patrick given green light for Daytona Nationwide race

IndyCar series star Danica Patrick will continue to be in the spotlight during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.

Patrick announced on Monday she will make her Nationwide Series debut in Saturday's DRIVE4COPD 300 season-opener at Daytona. She originally was scheduled to make her series debut in the February 20 race at California, but after an impressive performance in the ARCA event over the weekend at Daytona, her foray in NASCAR's second-tier circuit has been bumped up one week.

"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," Patrick said in a statement. "The ARCA race was a blast, and I'm not ready for my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet. I want more racing."

Patrick will run Daytona race

How did former IndyCar star Danica Patrick think her stock-car racing debut went over the weekend?

Let her tell you: "I want more racing," she said.

As expected, Patrick officially announced Monday she was jump-starting her debut in NASCAR's Nationwide Series and will compete in the series season-opener Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.

Report: Patrick reaches NASCAR deal

Part - but not all - of the plans IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick has to enter NASCAR will finally be revealed on Tuesday.

Patrick, whose flirtation with NASCAR has been the subject of endless speculation for months, has signed a contract with JR Motorsports to run a limited schedule in the Nationwide Series, beginning next season, the Observer and ThatsRacin.com have learned.

However, exactly what that schedule includes remains unclear. Sources said no specific number of races - or even her first Nationwide race - will be announced on Tuesday.

Points puzzle puts owner hat back on Yates

Doug Yates is returning as a Sprint Cup Series team owner, but not with Richard Petty Motorsports.

Until Tuesday it was believed and had been reported Yates had merged his racing operations with RPM in a deal that was completed at the end of the 2009 season. But Yates is now re-emerging as a minority owner of Front Row Motorsports, which plans to field three Cup teams this season.

All three teams will start the season with owner points in the Top 35 and assured of starting positions in the Daytona 500. Two of those teams will benefit from points earned last season when they were part of the Yates operation.