Nascar Hall of Fame driver Richard (The King) Petty says Danica Patrick can only win a Sprint Cup race "if everybody else stayed home," according to an article in the Huffington Post. With the start of another Nascar season just days away, that's not good news for the sport.

Nascar has been struggling the last several years, partially due to the recession, and partially due to their inability to attract new fans. Their races have had low attendance despite the fact track owners had drastically lowered ticket prices. Television ratings have steadily fallen, and the comments made by one of the most revered racers of all time won't help the situation. Richard said what others were afraid to say, and being Richard Petty, it's only fitting that it should have been said by him and nobody else. The truth is, Richard is correct in all he said.

Danika Patrick knows how to drive a race car, she does not know how to race. Will she improve before she takes the money and run? Time will tell but I doubt it. You may feel I'm saying this because she is a female. Not true. Gender has nothing to do with it. Racing ability has everything to do with it. Each season, there are male drivers who hear the same said about them, and sure enough, in one or two seasons, they're gone.

Richard's son Kyle Petty, himself a past Nascar driver for many years, now turned sports announcer, nailed it by saying she is a "marketing machine."  Many fans have bought into the fact that she's a race car driver which is untrue. She's brings in tons of money to the sport, but remember sponsors will not continue to pay of millions of dollars per year to have their driver come in 27th place.

To quote Richard Petty, the winning-est  driver in the history of Nascar, " Lots of driver can drive fast, but very few drivers can race.' Danica has been a perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs." Enough said.

 

 

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