Danica Patrick to make NASCAR debut at Daytona this weekend in Nationwide race

The IndyCar star will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in Saturday's second-tier Nationwide Series race.

The decision announced Monday to race at Daytona was made after team officials dissected her stock-car racing debut in the ARCA race at Daytona on Saturday. The team had left the option to race up to Patrick, who wanted to assess her first race before deciding whether to enter one of the most prestigious Nationwide races of the season.

Patrick overcame a midrace spin to finish sixth.

"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 had been hesitant to make her debut at Daytona because of the top talent that race attracts. Sprint Cup drivers have won nine of the last 10 Nationwide races here, and the lone exception was Martin Truex Jr., who won in 2005 in JR Motorsports car.

Patrick will be joined in the field by Dale Earnhardt Jr., her car owner. He has five wins and 10 top-10 finishes in 17 Nationwide races at Daytona.

Earnhardt will be driving JRM's flagship No. 88, while Patrick will be in the car she will drive in 13 previously announced races. Her schedule after Daytona includes the Feb. 20 race at California and the Feb. 27 race at Las Vegas.

"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," said Kelley Earnhardt, Earnhardt's sister and the general manager and a part owner of JRM.

"She has worked extremely hard during the past two months for this opportunity. Her dedication and work ethic is infectious."

JR Motorsports acquired the points from CJM Racing to ensure Patrick a spot in the field. CJM Racing finished 15th in the owner standings last season, but has suspended operations.

'Tea party' movement is democracy at work, but will supporters, and Sarah Palin, be able to convert the enthusiasm to election success

First, the independent Ross Perot contingent. Then, the liberal "netroots" mobilization. Now, the conservative "tea party" coalition.

No doubt this is democracy at work, a quintessential part of America.

Will the latest political phenomenon become a society-changing movement influencing elections and beyond?

They held their first national "tea party" convention over the weekend. And they're already having some impact on American politics.

"America is ready for another revolution, and you are a part of this," Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, told convention attendees Saturday. "You all have the courage to stand up and speak out."

Many "tea party" disciples view the former Alaska governor — also an author, a Fox News analyst and a potential 2012 presidential candidate — as their de facto leader. But Palin suggested the movement should remain leaderless and cautioned against allowing it to be defined by any one person.

But she repeatedly dismissed that notion, saying: "The 'tea party' movement is not a top-down operation. It's a ground-up call to action that is forcing both parties to change the way they're doing business, and that's beautiful."

The "tea party" movement is a collection of stay-at-home moms, small-business owners, corporate executives and everyone in between — many political neophytes who aren't hardcore ideologues — who are using the latest technology to come together and vent their frustrations about their country and plot to install a new group in charge of the government.