Danica Patrick Indy 500 Run Canceled, Drops Out to Focus on Cup for 2nd Straight Year

Danica Patrick says she plans to sit out this year's Indy 500 again.

"I can confirm to you today I will not be doing the Indy 500,'' said Patrick at Daytona, during the first day of a Sprint Cup test. "The team and I decided to focus on Cup. It's going to be plenty of work as it is."

"It's going to be important for me running for the championship full time for the first time to really keep myself focused on the Cup car. But if I do do the Indy 500 moving forward it will be with GoDaddy," she said, mentioned her current, and apparently future sponsor.

"Patrick is preparing for her first full season in Cup after finishing 10th in the Nationwide Series last season," writes David Newton at ESPN. "She explored the possibility of competing in the Indy 500 but opted to focus entirely on the Coca-Cola 600 that is run the same day at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Patrick also skipped the 500 last season to make the Charlotte race one of her 10 in a limited Cup schedule."

Patrick also skipped the Indy 500 last year, so it's not a huge surprise to fans or analysts that she chose to focus Cup races.

As for this year's Nationwide series, that's all still up in the air.

""I'm not sure if that's completely set. There have been some reports that have come out about running for Turner, and we're definitely talking to them trying to figure it out," Patrick said. "We're definitely working on that, but there's been nothing signed yet, and the exact dates and the sponsor has yet to be confirmed for all that."