A crash at last Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 may have put Danica Patrick in the midst of a squabble between her boss and her boyfriend.

The crash occurred in lap 319 of the May 26 race, in which Patrick was nudged into fellow driver Brad Keselowski, causing her to eventually place 29th in the race. Patrick initially believed boyfriend Rick Stenhouse Jr.'s car was behind the crash, but later Keselowski put the blame on himself.

Now it's looked like Stenhouse drew the ire of Patrick's boss, Tony Stewart.

"Ricky Stenhouse, I'd choke him right now if I could get to him and I love that kid like he's family," Stewart told Sirius XM Racing after the race last Sunday.

Patrick seemed to agree with Stewart in an interview ahead of Sunday's Fedex 400 race, claiming "Don't you want to choke your kids every now and then?"

But Patrick said she took Stewart's comments as a sign he wants to he help the Sprint Cup rookie improve.

"If there is anyone out there that he says something about, it's only because he knows they are going to be around and he wants them to learn how to play the game the way that he's learned how to play the game," said Patrick. "It's actually a good thing that he wants to help and that he would speak up, because at the end of the day we see each other every five days, not every couple of weeks.

"You need to take care of those relationships or else they could bite you in the end."

Stenhouse was a bit in the doghouse with his girlfriend after the race; he was reportedly given the silent treatment after the two left, but things have healed in the time since.

But Patrick said that she understands why fans are drawn to the story behind her personal and professional relationship with Stenhouse.

"He was part of the three-wide that made the accident, too, so it's legitimately something you could ask," Patrick said. "We're just very honest. We keep things simple. We didn't even talk about what we should say.

"The only thing to know is that we're honest about the things that happen and it was a racing incident and we're going to give our perspectives on what it was."

Besides, she added, "I'm sure I would want to know how that all went down after the race, too. We're an entertainment sport, so I get it."

Patrick and Stenhouse are both due to race in the Fedex 400 in Delaware's Dover International Speedway on Sunday.

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Sports, Nascar