Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Danica Patrick has added the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway to her 2012 Sprint Cup schedule, eliminating any possibility she will run in the Indianapolis 500.

“I’m not going to do the Indy 500,” the former IndyCar Series driver said on Monday to kick off the 2012 Sprint Media Tour. “I hope to do it in the future. Maybe it’ll be a double.

“But at this point in time, after a lot of conversations, it’s just going to be the Coke 600. It’s going to be a big challenge.”

Patrick, who is running a full Nationwide Series schedule at JR Motorsports and part-time Cup schedule for Stewart Haas Racing as she makes the transition from open wheel racing to stock cars, said it was a business decision to run NASCAR’s longest race that is held on the same day as the 500 in May.

Patrick competed in her first Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and finished fourth, the highest finish in that race for a female driver. It remains her goal to win the 500.

“It was just something that didn’t work out, the business side of things didn’t work out,” Patrick said. “Again, I’m hopeful to do it in the future, but this year it didn’t happen.”

Patrick will make her Sprint Cup debut in the Feb. 26 Daytona 500. She announced eight of her 10 races late last season. The 600 leaves her with one open slot.

Patrick didn’t rule out making the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis her 10th Cup race.

“Somebody even mentioned something about the All-Star race,” she said of the non-points event the week before the 600 at CMS. “I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m an All-Star.’ They’re like, ‘Well, there is a fan vote?’

“The Brickyard might be a great place to add a 10th race. IndyCar fans, there is a lot of them there of course. It would be great to go there and do the big NASCAR race. I love that track. It’s my favorite track.’ ”

WRITTEN BY David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at [email protected] & FULL STORY HERE