Danica 'Shut Up And Race' Says David Gilliland; Why Was Fellow Nascar Driver Upset At Patrick?

"Shut Up And Race!" Those were the words of NASCAR racer David Gilliland directed irritably at fellow racing veteran Danica Patrick following the 2013 STP 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

It wasn't Patrick's day to begin with, as was the case for a number of veteran drivers. Jeff Gordon smashed his number 24 Chevy into a barrier at qualifying, and later finished the race 13th, well behind his Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne, who finished in the top three, behind winner Matt Kenseth.

North Carolina's favorite, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., was mostly a non-factor, finishing in 16 driving the number 88 for Hendrick, previously run by retired fellow Tarheel, Dale Jarrett. Formerly a repeated top finisher, including a win at Pocono last year, young Joey Logano finished 39 just behind veteran Kyle Busch. Even Carl Edwards in the 99 couldn't break the top 15 at Kansas.

As for Danica Patrick and David Gilliland, despite their war of words the race did not end well for either driver. Patrick accused Gilliland over her car's radio of trying to "take [her] out", and instructed her crew chief to let Gilliland's spotter know that "I'm coming after him if he does it again. In fact, I might just do that right now!" The two were pretty close to eachother all day, as the pair finished 25th and 23rd respectively.

Gilliland never encountered the threatened wrath of the Go-Daddy 10, but in response to her comments, he said through his spokeswoman to Danica: "Shut up and race". In addition to the alleged actions by Gilliland, Patrick was forced to make a green flag pit stop because of trash that had become trapped in front of her grille. Because the airflow to the car's engine was constricted, her oil temperature rose dangerously and Danica needed it removed by her pit crew, which dropped her from the lead lap.

Nascar comes back east again as Mechanicsville, Va., will become host to some exciting short track racing at the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway a mile outside the capital of the Old Dominion.