Danica Patrick Facing Criticism Ahead Of Tonight’s Quaker State 400

I had no idea Kyle Petty was so vocal. And boy was he vocal about Danica Patrick. It's tough to really nail down whether he's just frustrated with seeing her make little progress or whether he's ready for her to coast back to the IZOD Indy Car Series. Petty bluntly said on SPEED's Nascar Hub show this week that Patrick is a "marketing machine" not a racer.

As much I love to see girls and women succeed in any sport, I tend to agree with Petty. I'm not saying Danica Patrick will never win a Nascar race, be it Nationwide or Sprint Cup, but she will have a long road to hoe, so to speak.

Patrick will start 29th in tonight's Quaker State 400. Rain and thunderstorms at Kentucky Speedway may delay the race to Sunday. You can catch all the live coverage on 92.5 WBKR!