It’s official! Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR debut at Daytona International Speedway in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race.

photo credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images

“To be the one driving that Go Daddy car at Daytona means a lot to me,” Patrick said. “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. The ARCA race was a blast, and I’m not ready for my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet. I want more racing.”

JR Motorsports general manager Kelley Earnhardt released the announcement early Monday morning. “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,” Earnhardt said. “She has worked extremely hard during the past two months for this opportunity. Her dedication and work ethic is infectious.”

The announcement didn’t come as much of a surprise after Patrick scored a 6th place finish in Saturday’s ARCA/Remax Series race at Daytona.

Patrick will compete in 13 races in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series this season. Along with the season-opener at Daytona, she’s also prepared to race at Auto Club Speedway on February 20th and Las Vegas Motor Speedway on February 27th.