NASCAR’s Danica Patrick unfazed by ‘shut up and race’ remark

Danica Patrick said Friday she’s not bothered by the admonition from fellow NASCAR driver David Gilliland to “shut up and race.”

In fact, Patrick said she’s still irked at Gilliland for, in her view, driving too aggressively when she’s near him in the Sprint Cup Series.

“I don’t think he races me like everyone else,” Patrick told reporters at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway ahead of the next Cup race Saturday night.

“I watched him move over and let someone by so, no, I don’t think he does,” she said. “And that is what makes me mad. He is just getting more attention for this than he deserves.”

Patrick complained about Gilliland, who grew up in Riverside, on her team radio during last Sunday’s Cup race at Kansas Speedway. After the race Gilliland issued his four-word response through a spokeswoman.

Patrick maintained that Gilliland has driven “very aggressively against me” since last year and “there was just a lot more of it last weekend and I was frustrated.”

Now in her first full season in NASCAR’s premier series, Patrick is 25th in the Cup point standings through eight races and Gilliland is 33rd.

Patrick, 31, declined comment about her divorce from Paul Hospenthal becoming finalized last week. She’s now dating fellow Cup rookie driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 25.

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