NASCAR has been a longstanding bastion of iconic beefs. The world of motorsports, in general, is no stranger to intense rivalries. At times, the on-track aggression spills off-track and can translate into behind-the-scenes drama.

The sport is only designed to breed the ones with a thick coating of Teflon, but sometimes the spite still makes it into their skin—sometimes shoulder pushes or chasing them down, a heated exchange of ungodly words. One such fiery exchange that comes to mind is the post-race face-off between racers Denny Hamlin and Danica Patrick. Let’s dive in!

“You did the same f—ing thing”: Danica Patrick’s Rant

Danica Patrick was truly an anomaly in NASCAR, a sport mostly dominated by men. She was amongst the very few women who ever set foot in stock car racing. Her career, although not known for any accolades or wins, still made a huge name for herself, being one of the most well-known entities in recent NASCAR history. Danica first made her name as the only woman to ever start a NASCAR race at pole position, that too at Daytona. She delivered some iconic moments in her career, with one highlight always remembered being her off-track beef with Denny Hamlin.

On October 30, 2016, during the race at Martinsville Speedway, Danica was furious after an incident where Denny Hamlin bumped into her car, causing her to spin out. The incident in question was caught on video. After the race, Danica was all flared up, and being unable to keep it contained, she decided to confront Denny while he was talking to the press. Danica walked straight up to him and held him by the collar, making a scene. Clearly frustrated, Patrick confronted Hamlin, “What are you doing? Seriously? You did the same f—ing thing in practice. You did the same thing!”

Hamlin was unable to process for a second what had happened, but he didn’t lose his calm and said firmly, “I did not,” defending his side of the story. However, Patrick was in no position to think rationally, so she pressed further, accusing Hamlin of breaking out her left rear, which had ultimately caused her to spin out, “You get on my left rear, and it spins me out. You did the same thing!” she claimed.

At that point, it was kind of getting on Hamlin’s nerves, so he said out of frustration, “You gotta tighten it up,” implying her car’s loose garage work was the actual problem, not the tailgating. The conversation was going nowhere, and that is when Patrick escalated things by saying,  “Nobody else listens to me with a problem.” Seeing her get emotional, Hamlin tried to console her by saying, “Nobody else has your back like I have. Stop now, listen to me. I can’t give you an extra two feet.”

Patrick still flared up, made another accusation, “Dude, you give me nothing! It spun my back end around.” she said. By now, Hamlin had officially lost it, as he countered, “I understand. Because you’re loose. It’s not my problem if you’re loose, Dan.” Truly, a fiery exchange! But the sport of stock racing has seen its fair share of tussles over the years. Let’s look at some exchanges from the past decade.

The aftermath and NASCAR’s history with feuds

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After the debacle at Martinsville, Hamlin and Patrick had made statements in the press individually, but no one seemed to apologize. Such is a significant part of NASCAR’s rich history. However, the duo’s beef is not some anomaly. The sport has seen many heated confrontations, exchanges, and sometimes physical brawls too.

If we are to draw some parallels with iconic beefs, then Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer’s clash in the 2012 season comes to mind. Similarly, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano had a post-race fight in 2017 that made headlines in the news cycle that year. Jeff Gordon, being the occasional hothead that he was, also burned some bridges with the legend Dale Earnhardt back in the day.

Such is the fate of NASCAR; it can’t really escape this aspect of the sport. But for better or worse, rivalries are, in a way, a positive for NASCAR. They display how passionate the drivers are and also make for some good TV ratings as always. The Hamlin-Patrick argument only seems to display the kind of passion and tension that defines NASCAR. While these beefs may seem petty, they do highlight the competitive spirit that drives the sport forward.

Moments like these remind fans that drivers are human too, occasionally expressing anger as a natural response. They all seek respect and understanding just like anyone else. This kind of intensity might lead to conflicts, but it also fuels the excitement that keeps fans glued to the TV and gives them something to show up for every week. Which iconic back-and-forth is your favorite? Let us know in the comment section below!