2003 Cup Champ Recalls Nearly Pulling Off a Ross Chastain on Brad Keselowski, Leaving Dale Earnhardt Jr Fascinated

A NASCAR race is the embodiment of competition. Grueling battles, unfortunate contacts, pushing for every gap, every action in a Cup Series race points towards one thing- the desire to win. But very often, aggression and competitiveness can spill outside the tracks. Over the years, the community has experienced many such instances where drivers feel a strong urge to compensate for their on-track misfortune.

One such famous battle was between two former Cup Series champions, Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth. Considering the competitive nature of both the drivers and the dangerous contact by Keselowski, the brawl was something that could be seen coming from afar. Revealing the build-up to the fight and why it broke out in the first place, Kenseth talks to Dale Earnhardt Jr on The Dale Jr Download.

“I’m Gonna Go Get Him”: Matt Kenseth Speaks About His Emotions About the Brad Keselowski Tussle

The incident goes back 8 years in time at the 2014 Richmond Bank of America 500. Earnhardt himself was one of the drivers at the venue. In a heated moment fans saw Brad Keselowski and the 2003 champion were going at it. Shortly after this, the duo went battling near the fence, which could have ended in a worse way for the now 51-year-old. In reaction to this, Kenseth rather bounced into the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, leaving both cars damaged.

Recollecting old memories, the generally well-mannered Kenseth says, “I don’t know man, all those garage fights people talk about like when I charged Keselowski and tried to tackle and stuff… The scene is all rusty with you guys. “

“You glance over the bold shoulder and see how close the officials are and the bus driver and stuff and you’re like, Okay I’m gonna have three seconds, (grinds teeth) I’m gonna go get him! They gotta tear us apart. I don’t fight outside the track somewhere like, no way I would do that.”

Junior then claims, “I’ve got a video of you running into the alley in between those two haulers and then you kind of just football tackle him.” Kenseth gives a reality check as he sarcastically adds, “It wasn’t a great tackle.”

Seeing the video, anybody would be able to draw parallels between this incident and the one that happened recently between Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson.

Watch This Story: Denny Hamlin Doesn’t Think Ross Chastain Has Changed Despite His Brutal Response To Rick Hendrick

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“What was the plan?” asked Dale Earnhardt Jr. With only two laps to go, the race was brought to a halt for a restart following a caution flag with six laps to the end. As the race restarted, Keselowski found himself in a new fight with Denny Hamlin. Pushed by Brad on turn 1, it turned out to be a big hit for Hamlin, who lost important laces and fell to 11th. In retaliation, Hamlin brake-tested him. But this move created another chain reaction of events in which the now 39-year-old tried to spin Denny.

Frustrated by the events of the race, Keselowski decided to pay back Kenseth in the pit road. And this is where all hell broke loose. Replying to Jr’s question, the two-time Daytona winner sais, “I didn’t really have one. So him and I were going at it a little bit and honestly the reason I got so mad there is that after the race, I had all my seat belts off, I was hanging my helmet up on the hook, we’re down to turn 4 and he comes in and piledrives me into the inside of the car. You can hurt somebody doing that. I know track’s one thing like I get it we’re all driving, I understand it but that’s what set me off.”

“I wasn’t really thinking obviously, I went back and changed and went home, I wasn’t thinking at all,” added Matt.

Such brawls have become a part of NASCAR. Ross Chastain obviously does feature on the list with his punch to Noah Gragson’s face after the Kansas Speedway race this season. The Melon Man faced a lot of criticism for his decision but ultimately it came down to Gragson, who was responsible for instigating the fight. Well, the adrenaline rush can get the better of the best of men sometimes.

Read More: Ross Chastain Adds Another Name to His Growing List of Enemies in Chicago: “Get Back to His A** & Put Him Into the Fence”