Danica Patrick to drive No. 10, Tommy Baldwin No. 7

Tommy Baldwin Racing will field the No. 7 Sprint Cup car in 2013, taking the car number that the Baldwin family had raced Modifieds while also ending speculation that Danica Patrick might get the number she has used over the last six years.

Patrick will continue to drive the No. 10 for Stewart-Haas Racing. The No. 7 was available this year because Robby Gordon Motorsports, which owned the rights to the number, has not run a race since last June. NASCAR assigns car numbers and gives preference to full-time teams.

Baldwin’s father used the number 7NY — typically in Modifieds, several drivers can have the same number so letters also are used to help designate who is in the car — throughout his racing career. Tom Baldwin Sr. died in a 2004 crash at Thompson International Speedway.

"It is a very special moment today to announce the No. 7 on our Chevrolet SS," Baldwin said in a news release. “The number has been in the Baldwin family for a long time and it is going to be pretty special to carry on that legacy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series." Sporting news