Patrick skipping Indy 500

CONCORD, N.C., Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Race driver Danica Patrick said Monday she won't compete in this year's Indianapolis 500, opting for a Sprint Cup Series race in North Carolina instead.

"It was just something that didn't quite work out on the business side of things," she said.

It will be the first time in eight years Patrick has missed the Indy 500. She has six Top-10 finishes in the past seven years, with a third-place finish in 2009 her best effort.

The Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 -- NASCAR's longest race of the season -- are both to be run May 27.

Patrick said she may return to the Brickyard some day.

"I hope to do it [Indy 500] in the future," she told reporters. "At this point, after a lot of conversations, it's just going to be the Coke 600. I think it's going to be a big challenge, but I'm looking forward to it."