David Gilliland to Danica Patrick: 'Shut up and race'

Chad Leistikow, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Danica Patrick took exception with how David Gilliland raced her Sunday at Kansas Speedway.

"He tries to take me out every time," Patrick said over the team radio during the STP 400. "Tell his spotter that I'm coming after him if he does it again. In fact, I might just do it right now."

Patrick didn't administer any on-track justice. Nor did she conduct postrace interviews.

Gilliland, though, did respond after his 23rd-place finish. Through spokeswoman Shari Spiewak, he delivered four words when told of Patrick's comments: "Shut up and race."

Patrick and Gilliland often occupy the same part of the racetrack – both are well outside the top 20 in points. She wound up 25th, her best intermediate track finish of 2013 but thought it could've been better.

That wasn't all that upset Patrick. Her Sunday was spoiled in part by a piece of litter that landed on the front grille of her No. 10 Chevrolet. It caused her water temperatures to rise – forcing an unscheduled pit stop that dropped her from the lead lap to two laps down.

"We started out pretty good, but we just got tight in the second half of the race," Patrick said in a team release. "We had a tire rub at one point and issues with the splitter from some contact we made. The trash on the grille was what really hurt us today."

Leistikow is the sports editor at The Des Moines Register, a Gannett property. Follow him on Twitter @ChadLeistikow

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