Some questions for Kyle Petty

Dear Kyle Petty:

So you said some stuff about Danica Patrick.

I'm a fan of hers (and my wife, who otherwise couldn't give a darn about NASCAR, bought one of her hats when we visited Stewart-Haas Racing while we were on vacation), so I hope she eventually proves you wrong. However, I'm not here to disparage you, your driving career, your family or your work on TV; in fact, I love what you guys do on TNT and wish you covered the whole season.

And I have no idea what your ponytail has to do with anything, either.

However, if you are reading this ... first, thanks! ... there are a couple things I'd like to ask.

1. In your opinion, is Danica the only bad driver?

One of the things that has always bothered me about NASCAR announcers is their refusal to criticize anyone or say that someone isn't good enough. Now I understand that the worst driver in NASCAR's lowest-tier series can do things with a racecar that the average person could never dream of, but there are Sprint Cup drivers who are out of their league.

Have you ever talked about any of them?

Like I said, I'm not here to rip you for your opinion. You said what you honestly thought, better that than some marble-mouthed answer that you don't really believe. And if you said what you said in response to a question, has anyone else ever asked you about a driver you didn't think was very good? What did you say?

Or is Danica Patrick the only bad driver?

2. What if she does get good?

Maybe as she gains experience, Danica will become a good Sprint Cup driver. I'm not talking Jimmie Johnson, or even someone who wins one championship, although that would be cool. I'm talking someone that runs in the top 10 to 20 most of the time, makes the Chase as often as not and even picks off a win once in a while.

You see, it's hard to argue with people who say Danica isn't very good, especially given the amount of publicity she receives, although I'm still waiting for the Venn diagram of Tim Tebow fans who complain that Danica "gets too much attention." She's not very good right now.

But what if she gets good? I wouldn't expect you to make a big show about being wrong on TV, but would you admit she's better than you thought she would be?

What do you think Danica's other critics will do? Will they admit she's better than they thought, or will they always find some reason to criticize her? And if they do insist on criticizing, will it be about something other than her ability?

Thanks for reading.