The only way #10-Danica Patrick will win a NASCAR Sprint Cup race is if she’s the only driver on the track, says the legendary ‘King’ of stock car racing, Richard Petty. Petty, who visited Toronto Sunday for an appearance at the Canadian Motorsports Expo (for the live blog, please click here), answered quickly and decisively when asked if the former IndyCar star who’s now a second-year driver for Stewart-Haas Racing would ever visit Victory Lane in the Cup series. ‘(Only) if everybody else stayed home,’ said Petty, who startedhis NASCAR career in 1958 in a race at the long-gone Canadian National Exhibition Speedway in downtown Toronto. Petty spent much of the time in a media scrum discussing how NASCAR has evolved over the years from ‘race time’ to ‘show time’ and he acknowledged that Patrick has been good for the sport in that respect.(full story at Toronto Star Wheels)(2-10-2014) UPDATE #10- Danica Patrick, met with members of the media at NASCAR Daytona Media Day and discussed: Richard Petty comments and other topics, the transcript in part:
Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF RICHARD PETTY’S COMMENTS?
DANICA PATRICK: He asked it for you. You were hesitating. I saw it (laughter). Oh, Bob. You know, people have said things in the past, and they’re going to say things in the future. I still say the same thing: that everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. People are going to judge what he said, whether they judge it well or not, and I’m just not going to.
Q. DO THOSE THINGS MOTIVATE YOU AT ALL?
DANICA PATRICK: You can’t try any harder in the car. I think that’s something that probably every driver would tell you when someone questions our effort level. You can’t try any harder. You’re doing everything you can. And maybe subconsciously there’s some motivation, but I can’t tell. I’m giving it my all every single time I’m getting in the car, whether I’m making a simple qualifying run or I’m in the race. It is what it is and, again, people are entitled to their opinions, and that’s fine.
Q. REGARDING RICHARD PETTY
DANICA PATRICK: I mean, really it’s more about my belief that everyone can have their own opinion. It has nothing to do with where it comes from. The people that matter the most to me are my team, my sponsors, you know, those little three-year-old kids that run up to you and want a great big hug and say they want to grow up to be like you. That’s the stuff that I really focus on. Q. REGARDING OPINIONS NOT SHAKING HER
DANICA PATRICK: I really don’t. I like that people have opinions. That is fine with me. I think that it creates such conversation. As I said the last time that somebody said something that was not so positive for me, it spawned so many positive articles. So, you know, there’s a positive side to it, too. But more than anything, I love the conversation that it creates in sport. Across the board it makes sports interesting. It makes life interesting when people have different perspectives, and that’s fine with me.
Q. HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO THE KING, TO RICHARD PETTY?
DANICA PATRICK: I know I met him. I have this great shot of I think it was before last year’s race, maybe it was the Nationwide race, of him standing in front of my car on the pole and giving me two thumbs up. It’s a back shot of his butt sticking out. Apparently I didn’t notice him there for a while. I must have been getting strapped in.
Q. DID YOU TALK TO KYLE AFTER KYLE MADE THE REMARKS LAST SUMMER?
DANICA PATRICK: I didn’t talk to him but he eventually wanted to come talk to me.
Q. HOW DID THAT GO?
DANICA PATRICK: I spoke to him eventually, but it wasn’t me seeking him out is what I’m saying. I wouldn’t seek Richard out either.
Q. HOW DID THAT CONVERSATION GO?
DANICA PATRICK: My conversation with Kyle, it was all right. It was fine. It was lengthy. You know, I think what I came to the conclusion was that really everybody does have their opinion, and that is totally fine. Even if some of the things that came across weren’t completely accurate, there were things that I didn’t quite understand from the comments either that I learned. So, I mean, it really just doesn’t matter. It’s interesting conversation and I’m fortunate I’m in it.(Team Chevy)
