I'll probably take a lot of heat for this, but I think the fact that women can compete in auto racing proves that it isn't a sport. In no other sport can women compete against men on an equal playing field.

Football? Baseball? Hockey? Basketball? Golf? Tennis? Soccer? Not a chance.

 at least he didn't say "pubicity"

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time he's said something like this.

....good thing opinions are like #&%holes, everybody has one and some times they stink!!!!!!!!!

I'd say there are a ton of other reasons it's not a sport, but this isn't really the time or place, so I won't get into it.

Exactly. It's a wonderful world!

what woman competes in racing, other than drag racing, has been successfull? That proves it is a sport

Whattttttttt?

So now the lack of success by a woman is what makes something a sport?

Oh. My. God.

You people are going to drive me nuts.

Whether I agree or disagree with him, I'm not sure he's looking at the bigger picture.

Ratings are down for NASCAR.  And if ratings continue to decline, I can only assume the advertising dollars will follow. (let's face it - it's tougher for companies to continue to pony up big bucks while laying off people)

I think Danica would help NASCAR tremendously bring in some more casual fans.  I may even watch for the first time in my life to see if she could hang with the boys.

Whether she's good for the sport or not, I don't know.  I'm pretty sure she would be good for business, though.

Undoubtedly Mr. Petty has seen the industry from many perspectives during his long career. But, there is one principle I have learned well, and relatively recently in mine----the past does not have to equal the future. I point out the example of many career  "firsts" for female driver Danica Patrick.  Her success in a male-dominated industry is poignant reminder that the human spirit can overcome anything.  Whenever and wherever there are barriers, obstacles, naysayers, etc., throughout history----paradigms are shifted !!! I learned and adopted this as a life prinicple while serving along side women in the military.  I thought that no woman could ever make it through some of the intense training we had to do---but they did! For my 2-cents worth, "RP......Never say NEVER!!"

This isn't a problem, we live in a free market economy if a sponsor wants to front the money for her to race than so be it. I personally don't like Danica, I think she is setting back female athletes with her unprofessional behavior but I'd love to see how the Nascar thing works out for her.

while i believe that Danica will be a flop in Nascar it isn't because she is a woman....I don't think that she has the talent nor the ability to make a dent. With power steering in the cars she should do ok in th estrength department but does she have the stamina and the desire to race 36 weekends a year?

you are driving me nuts,,,you think because a woman competes it makes it a non sport?

Exactly Mike, he's been saying this all along - he said it first when Erin Crocker was making headlines trying to break into the sport.  Nothing new here.

Wait till Danica breaks her legs in a crash. Everybody will see how it feels to watch a pretty lady go through that. And they won't let women race after that... What if she died? Motorsports is truely the most dangerous sport in the world. You could literally die at ANY second. If it's Billy Bob in a crash people's feelings won't be crushed they will just mourn and accept it. But a woman dying in a motor race? I don't think the general public could handle that. Much less a crowd at the track.

It's not even about her being hurt or anything of the sort. Danica's biggest impact in racing has been her sex appeal her sponsors have exploited from day one. She doesn't really have the world class talent that is demanded from male racers at the same level. However, if go Daddy can make tons of money because of her anatomy....hey, isn't that what NASCAR is all about anyway.....advertising opportunities?

I respect your bravery

Women say Petty just isn't a sport for women, good thing you're already an idiot Richard

What does it matter if you are a man or a women?  You are driving a car lol.  Women can do anything that men can do and sometimes even better.  I hate guys that look down on women like that. 

Hence the reason we have create the wnba, lpga, wpba.....etc. Because women can compete on the same athletic level as men. I will say that yes indeed, driving a car is driving a car. Tony Stewart isn't exactly the perfect argument for saying NASCAR requires athletes....unless a little roundness in the belly does something when turning left. However, it is safe to say that to this point, we haven't really seen a woman in track racing that has demonstrated legendary skills. I don't think Danica, or any others would make the top 10 drivers of Indy racing current day.....however, they are a great novelty and money/ratings gimmick.

i love to drive. richard is a traditionalist...old school. let the LORD lead ya', gals!

Come on now, you know if we let Danica in we'll have a crash every race!  She'll be too busy gabbing on the radio... and not for official purposes, if you know what I mean.  She'll be taking pit stops to apply a new coat of makeup!  J/K

In all serious... the legendary Richard Petty is sexist, who woulda thunk it?  His comment makes no sense... it's one thing with sports like football or basketball, but you're driving a car!  Petty, you moron!  If someone is trained properly and well enough, they can succeed at the highest level.  How can Petty claim that a woman can't become a "real true racer"... looks like it's working out pretty well for Danica.  Come on Petty, instead of lumping half the population in one group, I dare you to give women every equal opportunity at success in NASCAR and if you can't find one that's capable of making a living in NASCAR, I'll concede.

Didn't we once think that women couldn't serve in the armed forces, couldn't go to school, and so forth?  I don't understand how this blatantly inane thought pattern continues to survive.  What's next, Petty will say a black man can't make a living in NASCAR because the old man can't distinguish him from a black car?  The excuse that we'll react more severly when a woman crashes/is hurt... it's empty.  Isn't that why we don't want women on the front lines, because some fat schmuck sitting on the couch's sensibilities might be offended?  As if Joe Schmoe's sensibilities should keep someone from succeeding?  This is America, right?  I don't know about you, but Danica getting hurt would effect me the same way it would if I watched anyone else out there in the same situation.

Petty is an epic failure in my eyes.  He's dragging NASCAR down into a good ole boys club, and it's this kind of baseless elitism that brings down the sport.  I don't care if a woman has yet to be particularly successful in NASCAR or elsewhere.  There is no denying that the lure and opportunites of NASCAR, among other forms of racing, is different for women.  Again, I'd like to see what happens when it's more than the odd whipping girl being thrown to the lions once in a while before making such a demeaning claim.

If Danica didn't serve as a sex symbol, this wouldn't be such a big deal.  And let's face it - she'll be great for NASCAR.  Petty ought to take it as a complement that the biggest names and talents are willing to come to his backwater sport.  Patrick, Montoya, Hornish Jr., Logano, and so forth... I look forward to the day she does come, because I know someday someone will be able to do this task that apparently is beyond the scope of mortal men.

Hopefully that day comes while Petty's still able to eat his words.

To see a woman compete on equal footing with men on the track requires equal funding and top of the line equipment. Women have been trying to break into to NASCAR boys club for a long time.  It's sort of a viscious circle. Hard to get results without funding and equipment, but hard to get funding and equipment without results.  And let me just say to TheRoss, you are an idiot.

THE SAME THING WAS DONE WHEN JEFF GORDEN WAS BROUGHT INTO RACING..............YOU DON'T HEAR ABOUT THOSE "GOOD" LOOKS ANY MORE!!!  THANK GOD!!!!

I AGREE WITH THIS TO A CERTAIN DEGREE BUT.........YOU CAN DIE PLAYING ANY SPORT!!  EVEN DODGEBALL WITH YOUR 5 YEAROLD!!

Ahh yes, I do remember all that hype. He did win a few races, but didn't all that fade away when he quit winning? Generally speaking, NASCAR comes from southern rednecks are we really surprised to see these comments from Petty? I'd love to see these NASCAR guys take a round in some 24 hour Le Mans races....now THAT is racing!

Funding makes a huge difference. However, funding comes from winning. Danica (and others) had a hard time winning consistently in Indy racing, so it is going to be hard to justify spending money to give her the best of everything when she can't find the podium. I don't see this as a "boys club" type of situation. Give us a woman who gets out their, wins consistently, and all the chatter will go away. I give it five years, and we will see that!

YEAH......BUT ALL "REDNECKS" AREN'T JERKS LIKE PETTY!!

Yes I do know that.....I'm in the middle of redneck country and have a little in me as well. I was shocked at first, then realized he just doesn't know better....

Tis about her being hurt. Why else wouldn't Petty (Who's grandson died in a car) want women in the sport?
And about her GoDaddy.com commercial... That shows her real class.

I am all for women being able to race in NASCAR. By all means. They deserve the chance as much as anyone else does, especially since there isn't a women's league.

I confess, I am far from the smartest person here, or anywhere for that matter. But, there is a reason there is the WNBA, LPGA, and they separate men's and women's tennis, and it's not just because they are sexist. I know I sound incredibly sexist to many people, but I have yet to see a single woman who can compete on an equal level with men in any of the major American sports. But I totally support letting them try. Who knows, maybe one day that  will change.

I'm not sure that is what I have gathered from his statements at all considering he did mention it would be good publicity for the sport and the driver - i.e. advertising, sponsorship, and merchandise dollars. My interpretation was simply that he didn't think that a woman could consistently win in the sport....since he is one of the all time leaders in victories. Either way...not one of the most stand up comments to make.

No, not at all. That's what the other guy said. I'm saying that his argument might be the single most insane thing that I have ever heard in my life.

Wow!!  Richard did not spare anything, did he?

In NASCAR, Danica STILL aint tall enough to see the windshield.

OK, I'm glad you said this, because it brings up something that bothers me a lot. You're not the first person who's said they'd watch NASCAR if Danica where there. This got me thinking:

Why don't you then watch IndyCar for Danica?

It seems like Nascar has gone to great lengths to try and shed their "hillbilly" image.  Something like this doesn't help.

There's no objective way to call Danica, who as I've said before is 5th in IndyCar points right now, unsuccessful unless one is a) so anti-Danica that facts mean nothing or b) one of those people who only considers all other racing inferior to NASCAR.

Also, I love those insinuating she would crash a lot, when getting the car home is probably Danica's greatest on-track strength.

And Richard would know so well what it takes to succeed now in a NASCAR car, seeing as he has had so many wins with the drivers in his cars since he retired.  He should be so lucky as to have a driver the calibre of Danica.

So would you put her in the same class as Fittipaldi, Unser (any of them), Vukovich, Foyt, Mears, and Andretti? Obviously, in order to be where she is, she must have some talent. Personally, I think the hype that she gets is way over rated as I would expect someone with her level of exposure to be winning...which she has yet to do this year! In 2008, 17 starts, 1 win, 3 top 5, 10 top 10......Where Dixon also started 17, but had 14 top fives and 6 wins. That's a pretty big gap in my opinion, but also says something about how consistent she can finish at the top of the pack. My $.02...

So, she's not successful because she doesn't compare to the greatest of all time? Oh, that makes sense...

As for 2008, Dixon is more talented (hey, I never said DP was the best in ICS), more experienced, and has a much better car. Same with this year, Penske and Ganassi have won every race, usually going away. There's a lot of really good drivers that haven't sniffed a win this year becuase of this perfect storm that's allowed Penske and Ganassi to blow everyone away.

So unless she leads every lap, and wins every race and wins every championship, she isn't successful??? There have been dozens of IRL drivers who haven't won champtionships who have had successful careers.  I'm with Eric, to call her unsuccessful is asinine.

She has found success, and she does have some talent, I will give her that much! In my opinion, celebrating her success as a woman driver in 5th place (my goodness!) is just as bad as Petty saying women can't compete in NASCAR. I think a driver should be compared to the best that is out there....period. Otherwise, let's celebrate everyone in the top 10 equally.

I wasn't celebrating it, I was just pointing out she's not a bum like many here seem to think. Danica probably wouldn't even rank in my top 10 favorite drivers in IndyCar, but I'm not going to sit here and call her a failure because she's not at the absolute top of the series.

I think the first thing is you have to understand the perspective that I am coming from. From a marketing perspective, she's a tool. I don't see many Indy drivers on my television being sexy and selling products and services to the degree that you see her. There doesn't even have to be a race on, and you will see her commercials. I will give her credit as a driver, she obviously got there and I didn't ! However, for the level of exposure and the amount of money she receives - I would at least expect her to be more competitive than she is. It's not the person I am blaming.....it's the marketing machine behind it.

As I recall Manon Rheaume played in a preseason game for the Tampa Bay Lightning.  So in therory you are saying Hockey is not a sport.  It is ok.  There were people like you that didn't want African Americans in sports many years ago.  Maybe some day all sports can be as tolerant to sexes as Hockey, IRL, and NASCAR. 

Again, as I said before, I have no problems with women in sports. I just stated that they can't yet compete on the same level as men. I remember Rheaume, and her playing in the Atlanta minor league team. She was talented, but was not able to compete with the men in the NHL, which is why she only started a pre-season game. I will be happy when the time comes that womens league aren't necessary, and women can compete at the same level in pro sports.

Well it wasn't really fair.  Her only pro level game was against the Blues and they'll make any goalie look bad. 

As you all know, I'm very straight forward about my opinions, and I feel I have a few points to remind some of you concerning this subject.

First, there are women who do and have competed against males, holding their own and or beating their butts. First woman that comes to mind is Ann Meyers Drysdale. Who was she you ask? Only the first female to be signed to an NBA team, the Indiana Pacers in 1979.

And I do recall seeing someone stating that a woman hasn't beaten a man in ANY sport, well how about Julie Krone, a Hall of Fame Jockey who won the Belmont Stakes in 1993 and the Breeder's Cup in 2003?
 
And I suppose female athletes from other countries and their professional leagues don't count, right? So how about Finnish Professional Hockey player, Hayley Wickenheiser, finished her rookie year with one goal and 12 assists? Or Japan's International League Team, the Kobe 9 Cruise have drafted 16 yr old knuckleball pitcher, Eri Yoshida, who happens to be a female to play in the male league. Yoshida has even been likened to Tim Wakefield and during her tryout was the only player to throw a hitless inning.

Let's go back to motorsports. Anyone recall the name Janet Guthrie? The first woman to drive in the Indy 500 and Daytona 500. Did you know that in the 1978 Indy 500 she finished 9th place, driving with a broken wrist! Guess that dis-credits any concerns about women handling a sport with an injury.
Is that enough sports variety? How about tennis? I think I saw someone say a woman hasn't beaten a man in tennis... Guess you don't know who Billie Jean King is. She's the female who decimated Bobby Riggs in 1973's Battle Of The Sexes with 6-4, 6-3, and 6-3. Guess maybe her name is mis leading and you thought the National Tennis Center in New York, which happens to be named after her and is home to the US Open was really named after a man.
Honestly, I think there would be more females competing and succeeding in male dominated sports if those that give the opportunities were auctually looking for skills and not just a certain set of chromosomes.

Battle of the sexes: Riggs was 55 years old at the time... Billie Jean King was 30.
Julie Krone: Horses win races, not jockeys.
Ann Meyers Drysdale was signed, but never made the team. So that really says nothing, outside "publicity stunt".
Eri Yoshida is ONLY compared to Tim Wakefield because they both throw knuckleballs. The Japanese league, much like the Finnish Hockey League, is nothing more than a minor league.

I think that Petty is wrong, and NASCAR is hardly a men-only exhibition. There's no reason a woman couldn't compete, because let's face it... it's not about athleticism, strength or anything like that. But let's not try to compare other (REAL) sports, where the reality IS that men are far better across the board.

Thanks for saying exactly what I was going to say, and probably saying it better.

 I'm sorry you think you have to dis-credit their achievements, I don't understand why you feel the need to do that. The whole point is that women are out there successfully competing against men wether you want to admit it or not.
TheRoss stated "an equal playing field" so is that to mean minor leagues are not still male dominated leagues? Maybe you feel minor leagues equals bumbling idiots therefore are at a dis advantage to a woman? Oh wait that must mean that a male has never started in a minor league and managed to move up. Therefor 16 yr old Yoshida and Wickenheiser may never get to move up as well because gosh that kind of thing never happens.
And you're right Petty is wrong to make a statement like that, but unless you've sat behind the wheel and run a race, you have no credibility to disclaim motorsports as not needing athleticism or strength. Maybe you should talk to Matty, IQ's own aspiring driver... maybe you should tell him he doesn't need strength or agility or stamina to withstand 120 deg cockpits and maintain use of limbs while his body is being banged around and hit with various G forces. Or maybe we need to inform golfers that they aren't really participating in a sport because the physical requirements arent' that of a line-backer. Every sport (including motorsports) requires a diffrent degree of physical conditioning, but they all are still sports and all still require conditioning specific to the needs of the competition. Again I say, if those who hand out the golden opportunities saw past the pre-conceived notions that genders have to be seperated or that only male chromosomes are worth being given the chance to prove their abilities and looked only at the abilites as a human being, we'd see alot more women at the top of the sports.

I'm curious... if your sister or daughter was talented in a sport and her ambition was to play against men, would you tell her as well that it'll never happen because she wouldn't ever be good enough for it?

Nah, I said I "may" watch it.  The reality of it is I probably won't really watch it at all.  I'm just not a fan of racing, regardless of the type of car being driven.

I do think it would be more of an interesting dynamic with her in NASCAR, though.  There's definite stereotypes with IndyCar and NASCAR.  I think a woman trying to dominate the NASCAR world is much more interesting than a woman trying to dominate the IndyCar world.  Just my opinion, though....

"if those who hand out the golden opportunities saw past the pre-conceived notions that genders have to be seperated or that only male chromosomes are worth being given the chance to prove their abilities and looked only at the abilites as a human being, we'd see alot more women at the top of the sports."
Women golfers have been given the chance and never made the cut. Would you suggest we allow them special concessions for being a woman? That kind of defeats the purpose of "equal playing field". Danica has also been given the same chance, but her success is because she is a novelty, which is why she is being brought to NASCAR - they need new money because ratings are slipping. Don't get me wrong, she's a good driver, but she needs to win more to gain a solid foothold in the world of racing. Until she does that, she will be a novelty. Apparently, the folks over at Forbes agree with me....

"Sports marketing experts don't particularly expect Patrick to succeed in wooing too many traditional male racing fans, who tend to only grudgingly accept a woman on the circuit. The value of her breakthrough comes in potential numbers of new fans and new dollars that could be drawn to the sport. Cultivating a new fan base usually starts with a novelty. Not that the classically good-looking Patrick, who recently posed for a spread in the latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, doesn't have her share of male fans. Without winning, marketing through sex appeal only goes so far. But as a complement to winning, it's a pretty big asset in getting to the next level. Just ask Tom Brady and Derek Jeter.