DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR debut this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

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

The decision announced yesterday 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 will be joined in the field by Dale Earnhardt Jr., her car owner.