Sarah Fisher, the fastest female driver in Indianapolis 500 history, is to stay with Dreyer and Reinbold Racing's IRL team for the rest of the season.

"We've developed a good chemistry, and I know they share my commitment to fielding a first-class race team that produces results," Fisher said.

Fisher was voted the IRL's most popular driver last season, but lost her seat with Walker Racing when the team could not find a primary sponsor earlier this year.

The 21-year-old then asked for her release.

In April, she signed with Dreyer and Reinbold as a replacement for the injured Robbie Buhl and finished fourth on 21 April in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

$1m earnings

Fisher signed again with Dreyer and Reinbold for the Indianapolis 500, where she teamed with Buhl on May 26.

Her four-lap qualifying speed of 229.439 mph (369.167 kph) gave her the record for a woman and put her in the third row of the 33-car field.

She finished 24th, completing 196 of 200 laps.

Fisher now will continue as Buhl's teammate for the seven remaining races, starting on Saturday with the SunTrust Indy Challenge in Richmond, Virginia.

In 24 IRL starts, Fisher has qualified in the top seven four times.

Her second-place finish at Homestead, Florida, in 2000 was the highest by a woman in Indy-car history, and she has more than $1m in career earnings.