Patrick fast in final Nationwide practice

Patrick posted the fifth-fastest speed in Thursday's final session, a marked improvement from her 26th-place effort in opening practice a day earlier. But she knows that more drivers made qualifying runs Thursday, and that there was less pack racing, and that everything changes once the engines fire for real on Saturday afternoon.

"It's nice to go up the speed chart," said Patrick, driving a No. 7 car for JR Motorsports. "They told me not to look at the speed chart [Wednesday] when I was 26th, because it doesn't really matter. I'm not going to look at it [Thursday] when I'm fifth, because it doesn't really matter."

Patrick made the decision to enter the Nationwide event after a promising stock-car debut in this past weekend's ARCA race, where she finished sixth despite a spin through the infield grass that left her in the back late in the event. Saturday, though, will feature a vastly more competitive field, with eight Sprint Cup regulars — including Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Patrick's car owner — participating. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday afternoon.