Is she coming to NASCAR? Will she stay in the IRL? We promise to stay all over Danica Patrick until she makes her decision.

Everyone these days has an opinion about Patrick’s possible jump to NASCAR. Driver/stuntman Stanton Barrett, who performed an opposite jump to IndyCar, had this to say in a recent Sports Illustrated article:

"It's more of what you do risk if it doesn't work out. It depends on what team you deal with. It's always wise to run some just to get the experience in those cars. Nobody has made a real easy transition over there. Tony Stewart was able to do it in the late 1990s, but he ran Nationwide for a whole year-and-a-half before moving up to Cup. It's a big playing field over there, but with the economy being so tough, if you are having a lot of success here and you are a big-time driver, I'd stay put."

Last week CNBC business reporter Darren Rovell asked Patrick about the possible jump. She responded, “There's a certain time when I can start doing things and talk to other teams and that time is not now. But I'm always keeping my options open. I have to keep in mind my driving, the platform and the sponsors. There are a lot of factors. But I think, in the end, the choice is going to be obvious. It will be natural.”

It sounds like she is leaving all of her options open, which is the smart move, financially.

In the same interview, Patrick said she does not use Twitter. Her reason: “I don't want people to know where I am all the time. I don't think it's healthy or safe.”

Danica - you drive how many miles an hour for a living?

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Shape magazine and now … Time. Patrick has been named one of the magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. She is No. 93. Voting was open to the public this year. Time listed Patrick’s “Pro” as “At last year's Indy Japan 300, Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy race, a feat that finally silenced many of her Y-chromosomed detractors and sparked rumors of a Formula One bid.” Her “Con” was “She's developing a rep for on-track temper tantrums and still hasn't won in her home country.” Patrick finished higher than Oprah (98) and Bill O’Reilly (102), proving there is some justice in the world.

Finally, from the “Fact, Fiction, Truth or Hoax” file:

Patrick’s car was, supposedly, stolen in the early hours on April 28. No one, though, can get the full story and the Andretti-Green team racing isn’t saying a peep. So you be the judge:
 

 

Check out more Danica Patrick picks at Chickipedia.