January 3, 2005

By Rebecca Gladden

Rubbing may be racing, but when it comes to wrecking, retaliation and rivalries often result.

The rich and colorful history of driver feuds are a huge part of what makes the sport compelling.

Cup driver Robby Gordon has been involved in more than his fair share of feuds over the years. After a controversial wreck involving Greg Biffle in September, Gordon observed, "It's racing. Race car drivers that drive these Cup cars can put these things - 99 percent of the time - where they want them, and can do what they want with them. It's not hard to turn somebody."

And turn one another they did. NASCAR may be a family, but even the most convivial families sometimes feud.

Rivalries add spice to races that critics might otherwise considered bland, and provide some of the most colorful driver quotes each season.

Presented below are my Top Ten NASCAR Nextel Cup Feuds of 2004 in chronological order, with commentaries from the drivers in their own words.

** McMurray vs. Kenseth - Bristol, March 28

Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray traded paint several times in the closing laps of the race, with Kenseth finishing 5th ahead of McMurray, who fell from 5th to 8th. The 42 driver then followed Kenseth toward pit road, first scraping alongside the 17 and then spinning him out well after the checkered flag. McMurray was fined $10,000 for the post-race contact and was placed on probation through August 31st.

Jamie McMurray: "You can't really get out and punch somebody in our sport. I wanted him to know I was mad. I was just shocked Matt did that. He's really a good racer, but he lost his cool today. This place is so easy to get mad at. There's not a whole lot you can do about it. I think he was upset that I got into him and got him out of the way, but with ten laps to go at Bristol, that's just the way it is. This place is famous for the bump and run. That's what I did to him, and he got upset about it."

Matt Kenseth: Matt Kenseth: "They say nice guys finish last, I guess. I try to be nice and sometimes you feel you're on the receiving end too much. It's no big deal. He didn't wreck, I didn't wreck - except for when he wrecked me on pit road. That wasn't necessary ... I'm not happy about that because my guys work on the car really hard. What happens under green flag conditions is one thing, but what happens after the race I think is another. I feel bad about that because my guys have to fix these cars, and there should be some respect for that."

** R. Wallace vs. Stewart - Fontana, May 2

Rusty Wallace and Tony Stewart made contact early on when the 20 brushed the 2 on lap 6. It seemed like a case of no harm, no foul, but Wallace, who lost 43 laps after a wreck with Kurt Busch later in the race, directed his anger at Stewart.

Rusty Wallace: "This Stewart guy, man I'm gonna tell you, I don't know what's going on there. He's coming down the back straightaway with his finger out the window and just giving me the bird all the way down the straightaway, after he ran me through the fence. I'd like to take that finger and jam it right up his rear end, I'll tell you that. 'Cause he's messing with the wrong guy with that mouth right now."

Tony Stewart: ""We came off of (turn) 2 and we got together, and that put him in the wall. But the corner before that he drove right down into the left side of us like we weren't even there - so I don't know why he's pointing the finger at somebody else."

** J. Gordon vs. Stewart - Richmond, May 15

Jeff Gordon was running 3rd and Stewart 4th with 46 laps to go when Stewart got loose in turn 3 while attempting to pass Gordon. The contact caused considerable damage to the DuPont Chevy. Stewart finished the race in 4th, while Gordon just missed the top five with a 6th place finish.

Jeff Gordon: "We're seeing (problems with Stewart) every weekend, and you'd think a guy getting abuse by the media and the drivers would start thinking a little bit more. He had a much faster car, fresher tires, got inside of me, and the position was his, and he just drove straight into me and put me in the wall and about put himself in the wall. It's unfortunate. It cost us a top five. We should have finished 5th, (and) if Tony hadn't been a bonehead, we would have."

Tony Stewart: "We got a little loose and I got into Jeff ... I just got down into turn 3 and got loose. I had a top-three night until I ran into the 24, and I know he's mad at me. We made a change and that's probably what made it loose, not to mention all that oil dry down there. I'm sure Jeff thinks I tried to take him out."

** Biffle vs. Busch - Charlotte, May 22

Kurt Busch may be '04 Cup champion, but he didn't look like a champ or an all-star on lap 11 of the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Busch got into the back of Greg Biffle's machine on the front straightaway and started a pileup that took out Biffle, along with Challenge contenders Sterling Marlin, Robby Gordon, Joe Nemechek and Kevin Harvick.

Greg Biffle: "The replay showed that Kurt Busch's head is up his ... I don't know. I guess I've got to take Kevin Harvick's road. I just don't understand. You've got to finish the race to do anything. He wrecked us on the straightaway, not in the corner, not going into the corner. On the straightaway! I never lifted off the gas. He had more motor than I did because he's higher in points. I feel bad for these guys. Great car. It's terribly disappointing. And it's worse for Roush Racing. Kurt Busch took out the whole field. We had two really good cars, a shot at a million dollars tonight. If I were Jack Roush, I don't know what I'd do."

Kurt Busch: "(Biffle) got a run on Kenseth coming out of 4, and I just wanted to help him usher down the front straightaway. But the way our noses are pinned and the tails are up with stiff rear springs, our car lifted his instead of pushing him. It's just an all-star type bump where you just want to try and help him. He's a teammate of mine and I didn't mean to wreck him. I apologize for all the wrecked race cars out on pit road."

** Waltrip vs. R. Wallace - Pocono, June 13

Veteran driver Rusty Wallace got into the back of Michael Waltrip's NAPA Chevy on lap 168, sending both cars hard into the wall. Wallace blamed the incident on failed brakes, but Waltrip did not seem convinced.

Michael Waltrip: "I'm just amazed that somebody could do something that stupid! I mean, if I'd put other people in jeopardy and run over somebody like that, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I just can't imagine what could have lead to a mistake like that, that would have put me in such a compromising position. Wow. It just freaks me out that that could have even happened ... I don't know what Rusty was thinking. I don't even know. I can't even fathom it."

Rusty Wallace: "I don't blame Michael for being upset. I'd be upset, too, if somebody hit me in the rear end. But I gotta tell you, when I went into the tunnel turn, I had no inclination whatsoever that I'd hit the brake pedal and it would go completely to the floor ... No way in the world I'm trying to take anybody (out) or hurt anybody or anything like that. It's hard racing. But when I hit the brakes, she went to the floor, and the last thing I wanted to do was take my own car out, but that happened."

** Harvick vs. Kenseth - Pocono, June 13

The tension between Harvick and Kenseth has existed for quite a while and it surfaced again at Pocono in a big way. The two made contact several times, some of it intentional, with Kenseth spinning out under caution. Both drivers were fined $25,000 and placed on probation through August 11.

Kevin Harvick: "I don't know what his deal is. I raced him clean and cleared him, and he got up underneath me and tore my back bumper. Then, under caution, he brake-checked me and spun himself out. I don't know why he decided to try and wreck me. He needs to check his ego, because it's getting too big."

Matt Kenseth: "When we came off the tunnel turn, I still had two or three feet on him at least, and he just came up like I wasn't there. He wasn't clear to move up and he moved up and ran into my left front and got himself picked off the ground doing that. I didn't think that was wrong. I think if anything I did him a favor by letting off the gas and not wrecking him, which I don't think he would have done to me ... When you get spun out under caution, it's certainly not a mistake."

** Vickers vs. Stewart - Sonoma, June 27

After casual contact with Vickers early on in the road-course event, Stewart bumped the 25 again on lap 85, causing him to spin. After the race, Stewart confronted Vickers in the garage while the rookie was still in his car. The Home Depot driver was fined $50,000 and 25 points for the post-race incident and was placed on probation through August 18.

Brian Vickers: "He wrecked me during the race in turn 11, then came over after the race and was mad at me. I have no idea why. I never touched him. He was debating with me, but gave me no reason why he was upset. So I just laughed it off. I think that made him madder, so he came after me. He got me in the chest, kind of knocked the wind out of me, then tried to pull me out of the car. That's why my guys grabbed him."

Tony Stewart: "I understand and accept NASCAR's penalty. With NASCAR's continued growth and their rise in mainstream popularity, I realize their rules have become stricter than they were in the past. And after meeting with Brian France, I know it's my job to live within those rules. I'm putting this incident behind me, and I plan no further comments. I'm going to focus on Daytona and the remaining races before the final ten-race run for the championship."

** Kahne vs. Stewart - Chicago, July 11

Rookie Kasey Kahne was on the receiving end of contact from Tony Stewart in a racing incident that spilled onto pit road. Kahne was leading the race when he was bumped from behind, sending the 9 hard into the wall and out of the race. Kahne's Crew Chief Tommy Baldwin was fined $10,000 and placed on probation by NASCAR after members of both crews engaged in a shoving match in the 20 team's pit.

Kasey Kahne: "As I put it into fourth gear, my car turned right, right into the wall. Obviously, he was right in the back of me. I don't know why he did that, or what happened there. He had the car to beat all day. All he needed to do was go through a couple of corners and he would have probably passed us."

Tony Stewart: "I got around the 40 car and got into the slot. I started checking up, then (Kahne) checked up. I don't know if somebody was pinching him to where he had to get out of the gas, if he missed a shift, or what. I was right on his butt, but all of a sudden he checked up and I don't know what happened. But that was a bad deal ... We could have been taken out as easily as anybody. I hate it for him."

** R. Wallace vs. Newman - Martinsville, October 24

Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman were running 2nd and 3rd with seven laps to go, when Wallace tried to move to the outside of front runner Jimmie Johnson. Newman dove to the inside of Wallace and took 2nd, with Wallace getting hung up in the outside lane and shuffling all the way back to 10th. Wallace followed the 12 car down pit road after the checkers, making deliberate post-race contact with his Penske teammate and receiving a $10,000 fine from NASCAR as a result.

Rusty Wallace: "To tell you the truth, I am still a little ticked off about it. We are supposed to be working much closer as teammates, and hopefully this instance will wind up opening the door for us to do the most we can in making sure that happens in the future. We've got a long way to go yet. We haven't had time to sit down and work it out. We've definitely got a lot of work to do to get all the teams working together. He's seeing red and I'm seeing blue. We're not seeing eye to eye at all on what's going on right now."

Ryan Newman: "I know I was underneath him, and I know he came down on me. I wasn't going to give him anything, so he got loose and lost a bunch of spots ... Obviously, it takes two to tango. I'm still trying to figure out how we can fix the situation."

** Harvick vs. Kahne - Phoenix, November 7

Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne tussled in the closing laps of the Checker Auto Parts 500 and continued to argue after the checkered flag. Harvick followed Kahne down the track and used the 29 car to pin the 9 against the wall, then confronted Kahne through the rookie driver's window. With three races left in the season, both drivers found themselves placed on probation by NASCAR.

Kevin Harvick: "We were just racing hard there at the end and he started running into us after the caution, so I just wanted to stop and ask him what the problem was. I told Tommy (Baldwin) what was going on. Kasey's not big enough to get out of his car and fight this battle."

Kasey Kahne: "It was just hard racing. I thought we were all kind of having fun. I was the one getting bumped all over the place, and I was having fun with it. I think everybody was. Our cars - mine and Kevin's both - were all beat up. It was all pretty fun. After the checkers, that was when the emotion (came out) on both sides."

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.