IRL -- Back Porch FanHouse

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- There was the typical air of optimism and eagerness at Homestead-Miami Speedway as the IndyCar Series teams gathered Tuesday for their first official day of testing for the 2009 season.

Yet something didn't feel quite right. One of the series' brightest personalities was noticeably absent from the paddock and press conferences.

Instead of shaking down his famous No. 3 Penske Racing Honda, two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, 33, is spending the week a few miles away at his Miami home -- preparing to go to trial Monday on federal tax evasion charges.

Patrick, Andretti Say F1 Talk Premature

Posted: Feb 24th 2009 4:43 PM ET by Holly Cain (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Formula One, IRL

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti are here at Homestead Miami Speedway for the first official test session of the IndyCar Series. But it's a possible future in Formula One that keeps coming up.

The F1 buzz is in reaction to the newly-formed USF1 team which was unveiled by owners Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor in Charlotte, N.C. on Tuesday.

Danica Patrick Talks About Back-to-Back Swimsuit Appearances

Posted: Feb 14th 2009 9:22 PM ET by Randy Kim (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Sports Media, IRL

This past week, FanHouse ran our behind-the-scenes video interview with Danica Patrick as she was between takes at the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue shoot here in New York. While it's tough to get enough of DP, we weren't able to fit the entire interview in the video, so here's a transcript of the rest of our chat with Danica. She talks about everything from how she stays fit to guilty food pleasures. Enjoy.

Best Danica Patrick Photos

Indy driver Danica Patrick appears at the 2007 ESPY Awards. Click through for more Danica Patrick photos.

Vince Bucci, Getty Images

PHOENIX - FEBRUARY 10: Danica Patrick, driver of the #16 Rahal Letterman Racing Honda Panoz, waits in pit lane during the IRL IndyCar Series Open Test on February 10, 2005 at the Phoenix International Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Robert Laberge, Getty Images

RICHMOND, VA - JUNE 24: Danica Patrick driver of the #16 Rahal Letterman Racing Argent Pioneer in the pits during practice for the IndyCar Series Sun Trust Indy Challenge on June 24, 2005 at the Richmond International Speedway in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images). *** Local Caption *** Danica Patrick

Nick Laham, Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL - FEBRUARY 21: Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda, poses for a portrait during testing for the IRL Indycar Series on February 21, 2007 at the Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Robert Laberge, Getty Images

Danica Patrick, Host of "Zero to Sixty" On Spike TV Spike TV Presents The 2003 GQ Men of the Year Awards - Arrivals The Regent Wall Street New York City, New York United States October 21, 2003 Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage.com To license this image (1757629), contact WireImage: +1 212-686-8900 (tel) +1 212-686-8901 (fax) info@wireimage.com (e-mail) www.wireimage.com (web site)

Jim Spellman, WireImage.com

New York, UNITED STATES: Driver Danica Patrick of the US is seen during a photo op for the driver line up for the 2007 Indianpolis 500, 21 May 2007, in New York's Times Square. Patrick, one of three female drivers who qualified for the 91st Indianapolis 500, will start 8th in the 27 May race. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Stan Honda, AFP / Getty Images

Danica Patrick arrives at the 13th Annual ESPY Awards at the Kodak Theatre on July 13, 2005 in Hollywood, California.

Mark Mainz, Getty Images

DETROIT - AUGUST 30: Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 Motorola Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda, walks through the paddock during practice for the IRL IndyCar Series Detroit Grand Prix on August 30, 2008 at the Raceway on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

Marc Serota, Getty Images

NEW YORK - APRIL 23: American auto racing driver Danica Patrick arrives to the "Baby Mama" premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre, during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival on April 23, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

Bryan Bedder, Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Danica Patrick driver of the #7 Motorola Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda poses for a portrait during Spring Testing for the IRL IndyCar Series on February 26, 2008 at Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images

Behind the Scenes at Danica Patrick's SI Swimsuit Shoot

Posted: Feb 10th 2009 8:00 AM ET by Randy Kim (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Sports Media, IRL

FanHouse was recently fortunate enough to go behind the scenes with Danica Patrick for her 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue photo shoot here in New York. Patrick talked to us between takes about what it means to be in the Swimsuit Issue in consecutive years, as well as her secret to staying in shape. Watch the video below to see what Danica had to say about this and more, and check back in a few days for a transcript of the full interview.

And don't forget to check out SI.com for an in-depth look at the 2009 Swimsuit Issue.