Many believe NASCAR has been without a good old-fashioned rivalry for quite some time.
In this age of multi-car teams and mega sponsorships, some argue the passion between drivers is a relic from NASCAR's storied past.
Well, those who long for the days of stock car racing's Hatfields and McCoys should be pretty pleased with the current feud between Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin.
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| Brad Keselowski will likely take his Nationwide feud with Denny Hamlin over to the Cup Series next year. (US Presswire) |
Keselowski and Hamlin have been leaning on each other, sniping at one another and generally disliking the other just about the entire Nationwide Series season.
But things came to a boil last weekend at Phoenix when the duo made contact a couple of times on the track, with the battle boiling over to a war of words after the race.
Hamlin basically guaranteed payback at this week's Nationwide Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"I just wanted to say [to Keselowski], 'Hey, look, you wreck me at Watkins Glen last year, you wreck me at Dover this year, you force me into the three-wide wreck at California, how many times have I wrecked you? Zero. Never have I wrecked you. Until I get back in a Nationwide car,'" Hamlin said after the meeting.
"It's a self-policing garage," Hamlin said after exchanging words with Keselowski in the desert. "NASCAR doesn't want to get in the middle of it. If it's the opinion of me or maybe one other guy, then, hey, maybe it's me. But every driver in the garage comes up to me and says, 'That guy is a complete whack job,' not everyone is wrong and he's right. And the thing is, he says, 'What do you want me to say?' I say, 'You don't want to say you're sorry? Nothing? It's cool?' And he says, 'I'm cool.' And I said, 'All right, we're cool then.'"
Hamlin let one final sting ring out.
"Let me tell you something, the one thing he ain't got is more talent than me," Hamlin said.
Keselowski maintained Hamlin caused the initial contact and that the second incident when the two touched in Turn 4, sending Hamlin spinning around, was in no way retaliation.
"Denny got in the back of me and pushed me up the track and I was going to return the favor," Keselowski said. "When he did it to me, I saved it, and when I did it to him, he didn't save it. We just got in a pushing match. I don't really hold any grudges. I don't know why he wanted to do that. It's just the way racing is, I guess."
NASCAR officials including Brian France met with Keselowski -- who has quickly earned a reputation as one of the sport's most aggressive drivers -- hoping to settle down the young pilot who will make the move to a full-time Sprint Cup ride with Penske Racing next season.
While the feud has made headlines all week, NASCAR is trying to head things off before more fireworks erupt this week in Homestead.
"Race drivers, in the heat of battle, say a lot of things," Nationwide Series director Joe Balash said. "We had a conversation. A lot of things were said. There will be a whole different scenario when we get to the race track next week. We've got a whole week to manage the expectations of next week. You never condone retaliation."
But while no one wants to see anything dangerous take place on the track or a Hamlin-Keselowski scuffle sweep up other innocent bystanders in Saturday's race, NASCAR should embrace this dispute.
It's a race promoter's dream to have a couple of young, aggressive and high-profile drivers at odds, and I have to believe this little spat will sell a few more tickets to Saturday's race in South Florida.
Controversy is a lightning rod for interest and there's nothing like a couple of feuding stock car drivers to get the attention of race fans, many of whom aren't completely thrilled with the current NASCAR product.
Here's hoping Hamlin and Keselowski don't shake hands and bury the hatchet for a while. It will be fun to watch this "disagreement" continue into NASCAR's top division next year.
And it may be a very good thing to awaken NASCAR Nation.
Garage chatter
• Kelly Bires will get a head start with JR Motorsports this weekend at Homestead when he pilots the No. 5 Chevrolet in Saturday's Nationwide Series Ford 300. Bires will take the wheel of the team's No. 88 ride from Keselowski full time in 2010.• Ford will utilize its new engine again this weekend with Roush Fenway Racing's David Ragan running the new power plant. It will be the first unrestricted track effort for the motor after it made its debut at Talladega last month.
• Jamie McMurray will be announced as driver of the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing No. 1 ride this weekend in Homestead.
• Bobby Labonte signed with TRG Motorsports for 2010 and will pilot the team's No. 71 in Sunday's finale at Homestead. Team owner Kevin Buckler is hoping to add a second car to the stable if sponsorship can be found.
