We're counting down the best stories of the decade, and today, we focus on some of the best off-track action around -- the fights! NASCAR first burst into popularity thanks to a fight at the 1979 Daytona 500, and the drivers haven't slowed down since. Check some of the most famous on- and off-track fights of the last 10 years, right here.
10. Jeff Gordon vs. Matt Kenseth, Bristol, 2006: Kenseth dumped Gordon, and then Gordon got out of his car and shoved Kenseth. Really. I can't believe it either.
9. Kevin Harvick vs. Juan Pablo Montoya, Watkins Glen, 2007: Montoya spun into Harvick, and then Harvick decided to have a few words with JPM. It didn't go so well.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. vs. Kyle Busch, Richmond, 2008: The fight that wasn't, but should have been. Kyle Busch turned Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final laps of the Richmond race, and Junior didn't respond effectively enough -- or at all -- for many people's tastes. This, for many, was the moment Kyle owned Dale.
7. Carl Edwards vs. Matt Kenseth, Martinsville, 2007: Tempers flared between teammates, and Edwards did the old fake-punch-make-ya-flinch move to Kenseth, who bit -- and instantly regretted doing so.
6. Tony Stewart vs. Kurt Busch, Bud Shootout, 2008: Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch had a long history of knocking heads, and it came to a head in the preseason Bud Shootout last year. Both drivers were disciplined by NASCAR in the hauler, and they've been calm since then.
5. Jimmy Spencer vs. Kurt Busch, Michigan, 2003: After multiple on-track incidents, Spencer rammed Busch following the race, and then jumped out of his car and decked Busch. The result? Fines, but also cheers.
4. Kevin Harvick vs. Greg Biffle, Bristol, 2002: Harvick and Biffle go at it after Biffle rammed Harvick. Line of the fight: "Biffle's an idiot, that's pretty much enough."
3. Robby Gordon vs. Michael Waltrip, New Hampshire, 2005: Gordon and Waltrip have gone at each other quite a few times, but the best one had to be when Gordon threw his helmet at Waltrip after getting spun. "Well, that's just rude," Waltrip said.
2. Kevin Harvick vs. Carl Edwards, Lowe's Motor Speedway, 2008: No video of the fight exists, but plenty of pictures do, like the one at the top of this post. Edwards is a workout fiend, but Harvick apparently got the better of him. Edwards later left a note in Harvick's plane, which seems a pretty goofy way to end it, but hey -- that's 21st-century NASCAR.
1. Denny Hamlin vs. Brad Keselowski, Charlotte, 2008 and onward: Hamlin and Jet Ski have had a hate-hate relationship going for about 18 months now, and this was where it all began -- a Nationwide race that ended in a fight involving both crews and Dale Earnhardt Jr., among many others. This gets the nod simply because it's gone on so long ... and continues to this day.
And, if all that didn't sate your bloodlust enough, here's a compilation of all the great fights in recent NASCAR history. Enjoy -- but be sure to calm down before you leave the computer!
No comments:
Post a Comment