Danica Patrick Daytona 500 announcement could arrive soon

With the Daytona 500 a little more than a month away, we should find out shortly if Danica Patrick will be in the field or not.

Time is running short on the plan Danica Patrick has put together to say farewell to racing. As has been much publicized, Patrick wants to run the Daytona 500 in February then return to IndyCar to take part in the Indy 500 in May before moving on with her life.

There’s just one problem: it’s mid-January and she still doesn’t have a ride lined up for either race. Last week, Chip Ganassi Racing, one of the few teams that could have given her a set for both Daytona and Indy, seemed to take itself out of the running, and since there’s been no sign Team Penske would consider an alliance, that means Patrick will have to do the goodbye double with two different teams.

Throughout all the speculation, Patrick has remained remarkably calm, giving off the vibe that even if it takes longer than she’d like, something will come together. And there might be reason to think that attitude is based in fact, as Adam Stern of SportsBusiness Journal recently tweeted this out concerning a possible Daytona 500 deal:

So we should expect something any day, apparently. It’s important to note, though, that Stern said “or Indy 500-related,” which means it could be the other Great American Race for which she’s found a ride.

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That would be newsworthy too, as the Indy 500 would no doubt love to have Patrick in the field for her last race. But Speedweeks is coming up much sooner, so if there’s no movement on the Daytona 500 front soon, it’s going to take a Minnesota Vikings-esque last second heave for Danica to finish her racing days the way she envisioned.