One week after tempers flared at Martinsville between Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch, tensions eased at Texas, where neither driver showed signs of hunting down the other on-track or elsewhere.
A wide gap in car performance between the two drivers during Monday’s race allowed the rolling boil of anger to slow to a simmer, even if only temporarily. They saw very little of each other, as Kurt Busch experienced plenty of trouble throughout the race while Keselowski maintained a competitive effort and led 85 laps.
Keselowski, who at Martinsville appeared more ticked off than his adversary and eventual race winner Busch, showed signs of calming in the week between races.
Keselowski stated on his blog BradRacing.com:
“Moving ahead, as far as Kurt is concerned, my feeling is this: I got my message out. What’s done is done. I’m ready to move on. Kurt controls what goes on from here. If he feels like he needs to do something else, that’s up to him.”
Brad also stated on his Twitter that there would be no repercussions at Texas.
The truth is, driver statements on official web sites should always be taken with at least a bit of skepticism. When drivers are on the verge of throwing punches, subsequently claiming on Twitter that the situation is behind them will not prevent that rage from returning the next time they meet on track.
As Mike Joy put it during Monday’s live broadcast, “Race drivers have longer memories than elephants.”
Regardless of this week’s race leaving fans wondering about the future of the situation, one thing has become clear; fighting season has arrived again in NASCAR Nation, and only two weeks later than last year. In place of the infamous Logano-Hamlin confrontation at Bristol last spring, fans of driver drama only had to wait for the following short track race this year for a Penske driver to lose his cool.
Next week the Cup moves to Darlington, a fast, tight track that invites drivers to some of the hardest racing on the circuit. If there were to be any retaliation on the track, drivers are more likely to initiate it at Darlington than Texas, where speeds reach an excess of 200 mph and safety becomes a serious concern.
If an on-track incident does escalate, there always stands the possibility of a garage area melee.
This would prove to be a truly unique bout, with Keselowski weighing in at roughly 155 pounds and Kurt Busch coming in with a 0-1 fight record after his legendary off-camera fist-blow to the face delivered by Jimmy Spencer over a decade ago.
Chances are, we won’t see a throwdown, or at least that’s what the trends suggest. The 2012 Bowyer-Gordon garage area rundown never resulted in a fight, and last year’s Logano-Hamlin wreck never resulted in blows, though it did result in an awkward post race lunge by Tony Stewart followed by a devastating Joey Logano water bottle toss. Neither seemed intent on actually reaching the other.
The question remains whether Busch and Keselowski, who in interviews at Martinsville threatened physical punishment, are willing to actually do the job. Another factor to consider is the possibility of dire repercussions from the NASCAR governing body, which could be enough to keep the would-be tough guys out of the proverbial ring.
There was a time when good ol’ boys swung fists to settle those unavoidable differences that arise on the track (see: Cale Yarborough-Donnie Allison, Daytona 1979). This may stamp a rougher image on the sport, but one thing is certain of any driver-on-driver fight; it creates a buzz.
Viewership remains a serious concern regarding the future of NASCAR. New marketing schemes and rule changes pop up so often that it would be difficult not to notice NASCAR’s desire for a new image. Maybe letting drivers settle their scores on their own terms would help NASCAR grab a few more viewers.
It’s a contact sport. Drivers risk their personal safety every weekend on the track. A fat lip pales in comparison to any injury a non-SAFER barrier wall can deliver. Why not take a page out of the NHL’s book and let them settle their differences with punches without the threat of suspension?
