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Kyle Petty, a retired NASCAR Cup driver and son of Hall of Famer and seven time champion “the King,” Richard Petty, has a reputation for speaking his mind without restrictions.
As a regular commentator on SpeedTV's Race Hub Petty has an opinion on just about everything related to stock car racing.
On Wednesday night the eight-race Cup winner gave his opinion NASCAR's only and highest profile driver according to Forbes magazine's list of the top 100 celebrities.
Another Race Hub analyst, Matt Clark, asked Petty what he thought of Ms. Patrick.
Kyle Petty: I've said it from the very beginning; she's just a marketing machine. That's a fact, Jack.
Clark: She's hot...
Petty: Yeah, she's hot. She's a hot commodity and rightfully so. In a market where everybody that crawls into a race car on a Sunday afternoon in Cup racing is male; she's the female. I don't have a problem with her being a marketing machine - more power to her.
Clark: Where's she at as a driver?
Petty: That's where I have a problem. Where fans have bought into the hype of the marketing, to think she's a race car driver. She can go fast, and I've seen her go fast. She drives the wheels off it when she goes fast.
Clark: ... but has she learned to race?
Petty: She's not a race car driver. There's a difference. ‘The King' (Richard Petty) always had that stupid saying, but it's true, ‘Lots of drivers can drive fast, but very few drivers can race.' 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.
Clark: Why?
Petty: Because I think it's too late to learn.
Clark: Then what makes a difference between a good driver, and a great driver?
Petty: If I knew, I'd be a great driver. I was not a great driver, and I'll be the first to admit it. I was a journeyman driver. Just like in the NFL or any sport, there are journeyman players...
As a regular commentator on SpeedTV's Race Hub Petty has an opinion on just about everything related to stock car racing.
On Wednesday night the eight-race Cup winner gave his opinion NASCAR's only and highest profile driver according to Forbes magazine's list of the top 100 celebrities.
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| Danica Patrick. (Photo: NASCAR) |
Another Race Hub analyst, Matt Clark, asked Petty what he thought of Ms. Patrick.
Kyle Petty: I've said it from the very beginning; she's just a marketing machine. That's a fact, Jack.
Clark: She's hot...
Petty: Yeah, she's hot. She's a hot commodity and rightfully so. In a market where everybody that crawls into a race car on a Sunday afternoon in Cup racing is male; she's the female. I don't have a problem with her being a marketing machine - more power to her.
Clark: Where's she at as a driver?
Petty: That's where I have a problem. Where fans have bought into the hype of the marketing, to think she's a race car driver. She can go fast, and I've seen her go fast. She drives the wheels off it when she goes fast.
Clark: ... but has she learned to race?
Petty: She's not a race car driver. There's a difference. ‘The King' (Richard Petty) always had that stupid saying, but it's true, ‘Lots of drivers can drive fast, but very few drivers can race.' 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.
Clark: Why?
Petty: Because I think it's too late to learn.
Clark: Then what makes a difference between a good driver, and a great driver?
Petty: If I knew, I'd be a great driver. I was not a great driver, and I'll be the first to admit it. I was a journeyman driver. Just like in the NFL or any sport, there are journeyman players...