Danica Might Have Some Competition This Season; Richard Petty Steps In It

Maryeve Dufault from Canada was slated to start #31 in today's ARCA race at Daytona (when you get to the link, click on "qualifying"). It's possible the lineup will change by the start of the race.

For the Bakken crowd, note her truck driving experience.

If it's on the internet, it must be true.

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Meanwhile, Richard Petty speaks his mind. The Los Angeles Times is reporting:

Danica Patrick is trying to avoid the debris field while Richard Petty is holding his ground following his critical comments last week that many have deemed sexist when he said Patrick could win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race only "if everybody else stayed home."

Patrick responded with the obligatory "everyone's entitled to their opinion" during media day at Daytona International Raceway. In comments to the Orlando Sentinel's George Diaz this weekend, she continued to maintain an even keel.

“There are people who like me, who really don't like me, believe in me, will never believe in me,” Patrick said. “I think everybody deals with it on some level.”

Petty, on the other hand, was on the defensive Saturday night before the running of the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race at Daytona.

“If her name had been Danny, OK, nobody would have said anything about it," Petty said in reference to discussing a male stock-car driver. "So, y'all are bringing up the sexist part of it, not me.”

Except Petty, the original "king" of NASCAR, kept mentioning he wasn't a sexist.