Danica Patrick revealed a softer side in a piece for the Derek Jeter-founded sports website, The Player’s Tribune.

Patrick revealed what it is like to make a not-so-normal workplace relationship work and what keeps two aggressive race car drivers in love and why that can sometimes be a difficult task.

“The sports media prefers simple narratives: Good vs. Evil. Teammates vs. Enemies. NASCAR can be a lot more complicated. The truth is that there are more misunderstandings than understandings between Ricky and I, because our only mentality is to go flat-out. Hard, hard, hard.”

Danica Patrick added, “I want to take care of him out there just like I would a teammate, but at the same time, I want to beat him because I respect him so damn much as a driver. Right now, only 13 points separate us in the standings, so beating him means beating someone who is really good, which is my job.”

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Happy birthday @stenhousejr!!! I love you!

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Patrick is obviously very much in love with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. So much so that the couple sleeps side-by-side on many nights and have a dog together, which, interestingly, has its own Twitter account.

Really, first time back at the track in a while and it's raining! ☔️ I just did my hair…. pic.twitter.com/KrncEVrnjm

— Dallas Stenhouse (@DallasStenhouse) October 3, 2014

But, aside from all of the special circumstances that surround Danica Patrick and her love, and the added attention one garners being a female race car driver, their relationship seems to be running along quite smoothly. By their standards, anyway.

So @DallasStenhouse just stood over me while I am laying on the couch, farted and then left. Girl, that's not ladylike.

— Danica Patrick (@DanicaPatrick) October 4, 2014

Danica Patrick says of Stenhouse, Jr.,

“Look, if it’s crazy to want to go to sleep next to the person who ran your car off the road going 200 miles per hour earlier that day, then I’m certifiable. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a balls-to-the wall, go-hard-or-go-home, lift-only-when-you-see-God-twice kind of NASCAR driver. He’s Ford. I’m Chevy. It’s the Montagues and the Capulets. He’s grits. I’m granola. We’re the opposite in almost every way.”

Patrick added, “He’s also extremely cuddly, which really helps his cause, because sometimes I’m not very happy with him.”

That could be said of many good relationships, right?