After setting off a media firestorm with his remarks last week to the effect that Danica Patrick could only win a NASCAR race “if everybody else stayed home,” the NASCAR legend stood by his opinion and bristled at suggestions that his comment was sexist.

“What’s unfair is the sexist part,” Petty told reporters at Daytona. “If her name had been Danny, OK, nobody would have said anything about it. So y’all are bringing up the sexist part of it, not me.”

He added, “It was definitely not sexist, OK? Hey look, I’ve been married 55 years to the same woman. So I am not a sexist by any ways. I love women.”

Patrick took the high road last week about the controversy, saying it was just an opinion and while others might judge what Petty said, “I’m just not going to.”