Richard Petty is NASCAR’s winningest driver with 200 career wins in it’s top-tier Cup Series, and while “The King” has seen numerous first time winners in recent years he does not expect Danica Patrick to join that list.
There is only one way Patrick could win a race, “If everybody else stayed home.” Petty told Wheels.ca during the Canadian Motorsports Expo.
Richard is not the first Petty to be outspoken regarding his opinion on Patrick’s driving ability, as last season, Richard’s son, former race car driver and TV analyst Kyle Petty made comments regarding her inhability to drive a stock car.
In Patrick’s rookie season in the Sprint Cup series she won a pole and finished 8th in the Daytona 500. Patrick strugged for much of the remainder of the 35 race season. However, Petty told Wheels.ca that he sees benefits of Patrick competing in NASCAR.
“If she’d have been a male, nobody would ever know if she’d showed up at a race track,” Petty said. “This is a female deal that’s driving her. There’s nothing wrong with that, because that’s good PR for me. More fans come out, people are more interested in it. She has helped to draw attention to the sport, which helps everybody in the sport.”
Patrick will compete in The Sprint Unlimited on Saturday by virtue of her pole last season.