Catchfence

There is still no clear timeline for a decision in the will-she-or-won’t-she storyline surrounding Danica Patrick’s possible foray into stock-car racing, but it hasn’t stopped the conjecture about her potential impact.

Three weeks ago, there were reports that Patrick’s arrival was imminent, but nothing has changed officially.

She remains a curiosity and her plans regarding NASCAR remain uncertain.

But that hasn’t stopped the chatter, or the debate about what she would bring.

“Danica has obviously taken a very hard look at this sport,” NASCAR president Brian France said at Homestead, where NASCAR’s Sprint Cup season ended Sunday. “I think she’s thinking about it. I don’t know what she’ll do.

Patrick would likely drive ARCA races before advancing to the Nationwide Series, where she would probably run a limited 2010 schedule built around openings in her IRL schedule.

“We’ve talked to her and we’re trying to make all the pieces fit to see if there’s something we could do together,” said car owner Rick Hendrick, who has a stake in JR Motorsports, considered Patrick’s most likely landing spot.

“But her IRL schedule comes first and we have to see if it would all work.”

- News & Observer