The IndyCar Series closes its season this weekend with another down-to-the-wire, multi-driver fight for the championship.

Scott Dixon is bidding for his third drivers’ title, Dario Franchitti his second and Ryan Briscoe his first. Dixon leads Franchitti by five points and Briscoe by eight. Ten is the point separation between first- and second-place finishers, making this race, in effect, a winner-take-all proposition.

For the first time in league history, the trophy will be won at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which hosted the first race of the season the previous seven years. The Firestone Indy 300 is Saturday.

While IndyCar has another intriguing points race, it also has, as usual, many topics for discussion as the offseason nears:

The futures of Danica Patrick and Tony George

NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick told SI.com that JR Motorsports is trying to assemble a part-time Nationwide Series schedule to accommodate Patrick’s full-time IndyCar commitment. Michael Waltrip told ESPN.com his team is doing the same. Patrick has been mum lately regarding her future, refusing to confirm she agreed last month to a three-year contract extension with IndyCar Series team owner Michael Andretti.

George’s situation is more complex. Since being asked in June by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. board of directors to resign several key positions, including chief executive officer of the Speedway and IndyCar, he has not explained his role.

The Jeff Belskus plan

The longtime chief financial officer of IMS Corp. hasn’t offered his vision of the company since replacing George. But the Speedway and IndyCar are expected to be leaner in terms of staffing and financing in 2010.

Belskus, who was part of IndyCar’s contingent visiting chassis manufacturer Dallara last week in Italy, must walk a delicate line of reducing expenses without hurting the teams that comprise IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500. He has said the team financial incentive program will continue.

Television and low ratings

The first year of IndyCar’s 10-year contract with Versus, a small cable television network, has seen predictable but tough-to-accept low ratings (about half the viewers it drew previously with ESPN and ESPN2). League officials must insist on improvement in 2010 while pressuring Versus to resolve differences with DirecTV.

Part of the TV discussion is the starting time of the 500. The green flag has been in the 1 p.m. hour since 2006, but there is a movement to switch back to noon to facilitate participation by NASCAR competitors.

Series title sponsor

IndyCar has been without one since Northern Light fizzled out at the end of its second of five scheduled seasons in 2001.

Izod, which has been a strong series partner the past two years, may fill that role, but an announcement has not yet been made.

The schedule

Officials have invested heavily in the new Brazilian race scheduled to open the season. A deal was apparently reached last week, but there has been no announcement as to which city will host the March 14 race.

The traditional race in Milwaukee is not on next year’s 17-race schedule, which for the first time will have more street/road course races (nine) than ovals (eight).

The participants

Team Penske is expected to make Will Power a full-time driver and become a three-car team.

The reorganizing Andretti team might slip from four cars to three if the Formula Dream sponsorship (currently supporting Hideki Mutoh) moves to another team.

George has said Vision Racing needs to find sponsorship to continue with Ed Carpenter.

De Ferran Motorsports has grown quiet regarding its plans to enter the series.