Danica Patrick defends her actions at Martinsville

During the Sprint Cup race, Patrick and Gilliland - who have a history - had several on-track altercations, which led to damage that ended forced her race 110 laps prior to the checkered flag. 

"You just have to stand up for yourself"

During a sponsor event for Tissot in New York City, she fielded questions regarding the incident, standing by what she did (Video).

"It's the way I go about my life. I stand up for myself and for what I believe in. In anything I do, I believe in fairness, whether it be in business or outside of business and that's important to me.

"I haven't had a problem with David for a long time but I think when somebody doesn't treat you appropriately on the track and it's unnecessary - as a driver, you just have to stand up for yourself so it doesn't continue to happen."

Patrick comments on penalty

She also responded to how NASCAR reacted to the situation, stating that the racers and the sanctioning body won't always see eye-to-eye. Series officials issued a 'behavioral penalty' to the driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, fining her $50,000 and 25 championship points.

"NASCAR did what they thought they needed to do for the sport and public and as a driver, I had to do what I thought I had to. Unfortunately, those viewpoints don't always line up.

"That's an unfortunate thing about the sport and the multifaceted nature about the sport. The drivers, the fans, the media, the teams - it's hard to keep everyone happy."