She won't just straight into the deep waters of the Sprint Cup series, however. Instead she'll join Travis Pastrana in the Nationwide series, assuming Pastrana doesn't break another leg/foot/hand/etc.
According to the Associated Press, Patrick's planning to run the Nationwide series full-time as a driver for JR Motorsports, with occasional Sprint Cup appearances for Stewart-Haas.
Patrick hasn't yet made the announcement official, nor have the other named parties to the deal, but among the bargaining it's said that Patrick has kept open access to a seat for the Indy 500.
Hit the link below for the details, such as they are now.
[AP]