FanHouse Danica Patrick

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Danica Patrick climbed out of her race car Friday afternoon, all smiles about a solid seventh-place qualifying effort for Saturday's IndyCar season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and liking her chances about a career-best ranking (fifth) in the standings.

She joked with reporters about missing her public relations spokeswoman and spoke earnestly of her Andretti Green Racing team's pressing need to find more speed.

Just don't ask her about the big elephant on pit road -- her contract status and whether she plans to give NASCAR a go.

When asked simply if she had hoped to be able to announce something by now, Patrick pointed her finger and said, "Why do you gotta end it like that?'' abruptly turned her back on the group of a half-dozen reporters and stormed away.

The interviews were over. The speculation will continue.

Danica Patrick has signed a multi-year deal to stay in the IndyCar Series, according to a pair of published reports on Friday.

According to the Indianapolis Star and SI.com, Patrick signed a three-year contract extension with Andretti Green Racing (AGR). Patrick, nor the team, have confirmed the deal. There is nothing on her personal website addressing the situation.

"I think we'd all welcome her (to NASCAR), but I'm really happy for Michael (cousin Michael Andretti) and for his team,'' said NASCAR driver John Andretti. "That is great for them and maybe Danica can still try some of this stuff too and see what she thinks."

For all who insist that Danica Patrick's hype exceeds her results, the massive attention she received this weekend in Japan, where the 26-year old from Roscoe, Ill., returned to Twin Ring Motegi as the defending champion, was legitimate.

She is the first woman to win an IndyCar race. Her hopes of repeating came up short early Saturday morning with a sixth-place finish at the Indy Japan 300.

But if some in her native USA are still slow to give Patrick her due, it was obvious by the reception she received in Japan this week that country has embraced her as a hero.

Last month, rumors had Danica Patrick appearing in ESPN the Magazine's Oct. Body Issue, which would feature male and female athletes is various stages of undress. According to Danica's people (via CNBC.com's Darren Rovell), she's "NOT confirmed to appear in the issue, nor has she even been approached."

Still no word on Patrick's intentions, but yesterday, Golf Digest's Ron Sirak wrote that three LPGA players will appear in the magazine and, shockingly, one of them isn't Anna Rawson.

Danica Patrick is still playing coy about her plans for 2010, but Tony Stewart, for one, fully expects to see IndyCar's most talked about free agent competing in a stock car at least part time.

"She looked me straight in the eye and said, 'this is what I want to do, it looks like fun, looks like a lot of work, but it looks like fun,' " Stewart told reporters in his weekly track side press briefing Saturday from Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"I know that she's serious about it. She's come over and just talking about things right now. ... I don't think she has some misguided idea that it's going to be easy doing it.

"She wants to do it the right way, she has intentions of doing everything right and she's kind of come to us to see in our opinion how she should go about it."

Smart move, not moving.

Danica Patrick should consider her apparent decision to stay in Indy cars and resist the allure of NASCAR a sound investment beyond padding her bank account. A move to NASCAR would be easy money, but it's the wrong time.

By re-signing with Andretti Green Racing (AGR) as she has indicated she will do, Patrick gives herself at least another season to move from a top-five driver to a true championship contender.

There are multiple reports from Sonoma, Calif., this weekend that Danica Patrick will remain in the IndyCar Series -- re-signing with Andretti Green Racing -- instead of moving to NASCAR next season.

"I think it's looking a bit like I"m returning,'' Patrick told SI.com from Sonoma, where she has qualified 11th for Sunday's race at the California road course.

"I'm not done. We are still working through some things, but it's looking like that. It is moving along very positively.''

An expected restructuring of AGR ownership, plus an apparent sponsorship deal with Motorola should Patrick stay with AGR, helped sway her decision according to the report. It would be a major coup for the series should she stay instead of following through with her NASCAR flirtation.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Perhaps it was inevitable that Danica Patrick's name would come up here during preparation for NASCAR's AllState 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday.

She's the most successful woman driver in the history of the Indy 500, and she's openly flirting with NASCAR as she decides where she'll race when her contract with Andretti Green Racing ends this season.

But at least one of Patrick's potential suitors, team owner Chip Ganassi, said Friday he'd advise her to stay in the Indy Racing League.

---

---

At-track reporting, live chats with drivers and live updates on the ol' Twitter feed -- that's all on the plate for this weekend's NASCAR festivities in Indianapolis. FH writers Holly Cain and Geoffrey Miller will both be trackside for all your Allstate 400 coverage. Come on back, y'all.

Is it not amazing how bold NASCAR and their spokesman Ramsey Poston have been about the Jeremy Mayfield saga? One would think it would be in their best interest to go into "no comment" mode about the ugly situation, instead of consistently adding meth fuel to the fire.

The FanHouse Podcast: Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone.

CNBC's Darren Rovell is back on HausCast, this time to talk about about his upcoming documentary "Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR."

Along with co-host Will Brinson, we talk about how the collapse of the automotive industry has affected the sport, the similarities between NASCAR and less popular sports like the LPGA Tour, and what effect, if any, Danica Patrick might have on NASCAR should she make the switch. Darren also discusses Tony Stewart's biggest fan, and how Ryan Newman is in the enviable position of having the mostly recession proof Army as his primary sponsor.

We end things by getting Darren's thoughts on the late Billy Mays, one of the infomercial pioneers.

Fun starts after the jump.