Kyle Petty: Danica Patrick Will Never be A Race Car Driver, Calls Her a ‘Marketing Machine’ (VIDEO)

Jun 28, 2013 01:02 PM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Danica Patrick is "not a race car driver" according to TV analyst Kyle Petty.

During an appearance on SPEED's NASCAR RaceHub program the FOX Sports/TNT analyst said Patrick is nothing but a "marketing machine" and will "never" be a racecar driver according to USA Today.

When asked by interviewer Matt Clark why he feels Patrick will never be a race car driver, the former eight-time NASCAR race winner said it was "too late" for her to learn.

"Danica has been the perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs," said Petty, who is also the son of NASCAR legend Richard Petty. "She can go fast, but she can't race. I think she's come a long way, but she's still not a race car driver. And I don't think she's ever going to be a race car driver."

Click here to read about a Patrick's boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashing into her during a recent race.

Patrick, who is currently in her first full year as a Sprint Cup driver, became the first woman to win the pole in a Sprint Cup race and finished eighth in February's Daytona 500. She's placed in the top 10 seven times in 60 Nationwide Series races according to NASCAR.com.

Petty, who started driving in 1979, couldn't tell Clark what does and doesn't make a great driver, claiming if he knew he would have been one.

"If I knew, I'd be a great driver," he said. "I was not a great driver, and I'll be the first to admit it. I was a journeyman driver. Just like in the NFL or any sport, there are journeyman players."

Petty finished his career with 173 top-10 finishes in over 800 races during his 36-year NASCAR career. He didn't win his first race until his sixth year as a full-time driver according to USA Today.

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