“I was Always in Trouble” – Kevin Harvick Recalls How his “Premeditated” Attack Cost him $50,000 at Bristol

Kevin Harvick bid adieu to racing in NASCAR last season. Right now, he is spending his days in a far more relaxed atmosphere, holding the microphone in the broadcasting booth. He also conducts a Fox show called ‘Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour’. However, even as Harvick is known for his ‘happy’ attitude, he seemed to be different from that in his younger years.

Harvick ventured into the American stock car racing series in 2001. Soon after, he let everybody know what an angry young man he was. In 2002 he unleashed a rowdy scuffle with a renowned NASCAR driver at Bristol Motor Speedway. Harvick recently recalled that heated tussle.

Kevin Harvick narrates brawl from yesteryears ahead of Bristol

Bristol and Martinsville host NASCAR’s shortest tracks. These half-mile circuits are always known for generating the heights of controversy. The small widths create enough scope for cars to bump into each other and for drivers to grab others by the collar. And that is exactly what Kevin Harvick did.

In a recent episode of Harvick Happy Pod, Kevin reminisced about the fight ahead of the upcoming Bristol race next weekend. He said, “But at that particular time, I had a lot of bad influences around me…that would egg me on to do stuff like this…It was definitely one of those moments that was, I planned that out for hundreds of laps…very premeditated. I don’t know that I actually planned on jumping over the car like that, so it just kind of run down there. And that was the avenue that was open to get to him”.

The conflict began when Greg Biffle bumped into Harvick on lap 241 of 250 at the Bristol race. Harvick was not going to take it passively. He patiently waited until Biffle finished the race in 5th place, and ambushed him from the pit box. He leaped over Biffle’s #60 Grainger Ford and grabbed him by the throat. NASCAR officials had to yank the two apart.

Harvick further recalled how he grew wiser. “I would call that some of the learning moments of my career. Trying to worry more about the show than actually what you were supposed to be doing in the car”

He also let slip the heft amount that NASCAR slapped on him for his rowdy showdown. “…that’s when we started having a slush fund for penalties. The financial guys would just budget a $100,000 a year to give away to NASCAR. And I think that one cost me 50.”

Kevin Harvick’s encounter with Biffle may have turned uglier if not for the presence of a well-built pit crew guy.

Harvick and Biffle were controlled only to clash again

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The Bristol incident stirred up the NASCAR community and fans were enthralled by the on-track feud. However, before things turned ugly, a pit crew member split Harvick and Biffle. Harvick recalled the person who dragged him out of the fighting arena. 

“I’ll never forget the fact that, I think it was the jackman who was also the pit crew coach and I can’t remember his name, but he was the biggest dude I’ve ever seen on pit road and he just comes through this sea of people and was knocking people out of the way and he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out like I’m 2 (years old).”

But as fate would have it, Harvick and Biffle were again destined to clash around a decade later. In 2011, they confronted each other at the other shortest track of NASCAR: Martinsville. But this time things did not turn as aggressive as the last.

Kevin Harvick is happily basking in his glory days at present, but these timeless stories remind us of how feisty he could be.

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