Danica Patrick Shrugs Off Slam From (Male) TV Analyst

Kyle Petty says she'll never be a real race car driver
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 29, 2013 8:32 AM CDT
Danica Patrick Shrugs Off Slam From (Male) TV Analyst
Danica Patrick prepares to run practice laps at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky., Friday.   (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

Danica Patrick might have a little extra incentive tomorrow when she races at Kentucky Speedway. It comes courtesy of former driver and current TV analyst Kyle Petty, who called her a "marketing machine" but not much of a driver, reports Auto World News.

  • Petty: "Danica has been the perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs. She can go fast, but she can't race. I think she's come a long way, but she's still not a race car driver. And I don't think she's ever going to be a race car driver."
  • Patrick: "I really don't care. There's going to be people who believe in you and people who don't. Plenty of people say bad things about me. I see it on Twitter. Some people want me to die. But at the end of the day, you get over that stuff and trust you're doing a good job for the people who believe in you." (She chuckled in addressing Petty's remarks, notes ESPN.)

This is Patrick's rookie season in NASCAR's tough Sprint Cup division, and she currently ranks 27th in the standings. She finished eighth in the Daytona 500, after becoming the first woman to win the pole, but that's her only top-10 finish this year. Still, that comes after a successful stretch in IndyCar racing, notes ESPN. Dale Earnhardt Jr., for one, thinks Petty is off base, reports the AP: "I have to disagree with Kyle. She has run some really good races. On every occasion she is outrunning several guys out on the circuit. If she was not able to compete, I think you might be able to say Kyle has an argument." (More Danica Patrick stories.)

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