The NASCAR community has, for some time, debated on how the sport doesn’t have a villain like Dale Earnhardt Sr., a man who was often referred to as the most polarizing driver of his time. During “The Intimidator” era, you either were a Dale Sr fan, or you weren’t. There wasn’t anything in between.
And fans missed that in the sport’s modern times. Well, to be fair, three drivers have made attempts at filling Sr’s shoes. First, Ross Chastain did it for some time in 2022. With his carefree attitude, a right cross to Noah Gragson’s face, and the infamous hail melon move. But the Chastain era was short-lived. And this year, Carson Hocevar has somewhat tried being the villain. Remember how he upset several Cup veterans at Atlanta?
But long before these two came into the picture, it was Brad Keselowski who had the bad guy crown. Who can forget the epic fight between him, Jeff Gordon, and Kevin Harvick after the 2014 Texas Motor Speedway race?
What Did Brad Keselowski Do To Leave the Track Bloody and Bruised?
Here’s how things unfolded: On the final lap of the race, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were fighting for the win. But Keselowski was equally determined for the checkered flag. He was tailing the leaders and saw an opening to take Gordon. However, he misjudged the gap and rather bumped the #24 driver and spun him out of contention.
Eventually, JJ won the race, and Keselowski finished in P3. And of course, Gordon, who could have won the race but finished 29th, was left furious at Keselowski. The two even had a heated argument in the pit lane. And after some words were exchanged, Keselowski was walking away, but that’s when Kevin Harvick intervened and shoved him.
Harvick did not appreciate Keselowski just walking off without consequence. Explaining the shove, Harvick in an interview had said, “It’s like I told him, ‘If you’re going to drive like a madman, you’d better be willing to take a few punches.’ Anyway, the aftermath was a huge fight in the pit lane. Crew members wrestling, punches flying, the whole deal.
However, despite all this, Keselowski remained unfazed. He wasn’t ready to back down and change his strategy. Explaining his next moves, Keselowski had said, “Will those guys race me hard or harder than others? Absolutely, I’m certain they will. I can’t fault them for that. I’d rather have enemies in NASCAR than have friends and be sitting at home.”
And this was the era when Keselowski became the villain of NASCAR. He already had a championship in his name, and he wasn’t afraid to play it rough. Also, this Gordon-Harvick incident wasn’t the only one. Keselowski made enemies with most of the garage.
Remember how, the same year, Tony Stewart rammed his car in the pits at Charlotte? Or how Matt Kenseth put Keselowski in a headlock. Crew members had to intervene to separate the two.
It’s somewhat strange to picture Keselowski as the “Rowdy” of NASCAR, especially since how much he’s changed now. You hardly find him getting in scuffles or saying anything controversial. Maybe he’s had his fill back in the day.