Patrick wants to stay in IRL but could switch teams

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West Allis Danica Patrick's flirtation with NASCAR seems to be done for the moment, and her time with Rahal Letterman Racing is apparently nearing its end, as well.

The popular, second-year Indy-car driver stopped short of saying Thursday that she had a deal in place for next year or where she might be headed.

But Patrick told reporters on the eve of the Indy Racing League weekend at the Milwaukee Mile that she's "not done" in the IndyCar Series and that negotiations are "far down the line" for 2007.

"It's a million-dollar question," Patrick said of her intentions.

"It's not my decision to announce that. That is something that when I've come to a decision it will up to the team that I drive for to make that call and to come out with that.

"So at this time, I suppose I'm not at liberty to say."

Patrick, 24, of Roscoe, Ill., burst into the national spotlight in May 2005 with her consistently fast practice speeds, near-pole- winning effort and fourth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500. She also won three pole positions as a rookie and finished 12th in the championship.

But Rahal Letterman, as a whole, has struggled this year.

The team lost its horsepower advantage when Honda became the series' only engine supplier, and it also started the season using the less competitive Panoz chassis. After Indy, Rahal Letterman switched to the Dallara, but the drivers and engineers have not had a complete or consistent understanding of how their changes affect the cars' handling, Patrick said.

Patrick's fourth-place finish Saturday in Nashville matched her career best and moved her to ninth in points, five spots ahead of veteran teammate Buddy Rice and nine in front of rookie Jeff Simmons.

"We're not the fastest cars, so we going to need to catch a couple breaks, and we finally did," Patrick said, referring to the timing of a caution flag at Nashville.

Among top IRL teams, Andretti Green Racing has two drivers, Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta, whose contracts will expire at the end of the season.

The team won the 2004 IRL championship with Tony Kanaan and 2005 title with Dan Wheldon, who has since switched to Chip Ganassi Racing.

"What's driving my decision is where I feel like I can win," Patrick said. "I need to figure out who is going to give me the car to do it.

"When drivers do well and then do badly, they don't forget how to drive. There are just circumstances that make it difficult."

Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner, found Patrick in Europe and guided her career through the Atlantic Championship and into Indy cars, where she realized her childhood dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500.

"I will always be grateful but, at the same time, we've helped each other along the way," Patrick said.

"I would hope that he would be happy with what I've done and wouldn't feel like, you know, I owe him something. I owe him every time I go on the track to do the best I can."

Patrick's parents created a stir earlier this month when they attended the Nextel Cup Series race in Joliet, Ill., as guests of Roush Racing and her father, T.J., said he wanted her to move to stock cars.

The amount of attention that the visit generated caught Patrick off guard, but it also reinforced with her the different status NASCAR and the IndyCar Series hold in the United States.

Among Indy Racing League events, only the Indianapolis 500 matches most Nextel Cup races in terms of crowd size and fan interest. Consequently, the earning potential for NASCAR drivers, in terms of both salary and merchandising, is far greater.

Still, Patrick said, she has been leaning toward staying in the IRL all along.

"Something we look forward to as drivers is the people, more people watching," Patrick said. "But on the other hand, I want to win in IndyCar. I want to win the Indy 500. I want to do well. I want to help the series. I'm not done yet.

"So if there's a team in the series that will give me that opportunity, this is where I'll be."