Danica and Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Together at last?

This is as juicy as NASCAR gossip gets, as silly as Silly Season can be: Danica Patrick is reportedly close to signing a deal with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports Nationwide team.ESPN's Ryan McGee and Marty Smith broke the news on Wednesday, indicating that a source reported that talks are in "the final phase." We've heard this kind of thing before, but multiple sources are indicating that both Danica and JR Motorsports are very close to a deal. As with so much else this season, the unexpected centerpiece of the entire deal was Brad Keselowski. As long as Jet Ski was in JR Motorsports' camp, he held down the spot that could have been available to Danica. But when he signed with Penske, the door opened wide.The obvious question is, when would Danica Patrick make her NASCAR debut? Depending on logistics and approval, her first race could come either in Daytona or at California right at the start of the 2010 season. ESPN reported that Danica wants the numb...