Danica Patrick Laughs Off Kyle Petty's Criticism, Says 'I Don't Really Care'

Jun 28, 2013 05:45 PM EDT
NASCAR driver Danica Patrick
Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and their new relationship was one of the biggest topics in the sport when the season started and things went to an even bigger level after Patrick won the pole at Daytona and later led laps in the race as the first woman to do so."

Nascar driver Danica Patrick fired back at TV analyst Kyle Perry by laughing off his comments about her being a "marketing machine" and "not a race car driver."

"I really don't care," Patrick said, chuckling a little Friday at Kentucky Speedway. "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."

Patrick's response came after Petty, a Fox Sports/TNT analyst, a former NASCAR driver and the son of seven-time champion Richard Petty, made his comments Thursday on Speed TV's "NASCAR Race Hub."

"Danica has been the perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs," Petty said. "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 said she laughed when she read that comment.

"It's funny he said I can qualify and not race," she said. "Anyone who has watched what I do knows I'm crap in qualifying. In the races, things go much better."

Patrick, who's struggled in her rookie season as a Sprint Cup driver, said she's used to the criticism and doesn't let it affect her.

"The most important thing is to keep my team happy," she said. "As long as we move in the right direction and keep Go Daddy happy, that's what matters. When I walk through the garage and a little girl says she wants to grow up and be like you, you must be doing something right."

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