Richard Petty was my hero growing up. I've always admired his devotion to the fans and NASCAR. He's never turned down the chance to spend time with fans, sat for hours to sign autographs and spend time with fans, and really helped make NASCAR what it is (or was if you're not a fan of the new NASCAR).
Today Richard came out and said that Danica Patrick could win a race if "everybody else stayed home".
Really Richard?
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge fan of Danica. Her mid-pack finishes and less than stellar career to this point have not placed her among NASCAR's top 10-12 drivers. However, she's made it into the elite ranks of NASCAR when many others have not. She has earned the right to at least compete at that level.
Any driver on the track has a chance to win at some point. Nobody expected David Ragan to win at Talladega last year. Nobody expected Brad Keselowski to win in 2009. Few expected drivers like Ron Bouchard, Lake Speed, Phil Parsons, among others, to win races. But they all did. They beat out champions named Earnhardt, Waltrip, Elliott, and Petty. Many great drivers never won races in their careers. Drivers like Ted Musgrave, Rick Mast, Dick Trickle never won, and they had better than average rides during their careers.
Danica may not be the best driver in the best equipment, but she's got more of a chance to win a race than 99.9% of the population.
Richard Petty is a great ambassador for the sport of NASCAR. But this time he scored a DNF rather than a win.
Today Richard came out and said that Danica Patrick could win a race if "everybody else stayed home".
Really Richard?
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge fan of Danica. Her mid-pack finishes and less than stellar career to this point have not placed her among NASCAR's top 10-12 drivers. However, she's made it into the elite ranks of NASCAR when many others have not. She has earned the right to at least compete at that level.
Any driver on the track has a chance to win at some point. Nobody expected David Ragan to win at Talladega last year. Nobody expected Brad Keselowski to win in 2009. Few expected drivers like Ron Bouchard, Lake Speed, Phil Parsons, among others, to win races. But they all did. They beat out champions named Earnhardt, Waltrip, Elliott, and Petty. Many great drivers never won races in their careers. Drivers like Ted Musgrave, Rick Mast, Dick Trickle never won, and they had better than average rides during their careers.
Danica may not be the best driver in the best equipment, but she's got more of a chance to win a race than 99.9% of the population.
Richard Petty is a great ambassador for the sport of NASCAR. But this time he scored a DNF rather than a win.
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