Thread- a backstory from my point of view because this gets brought up every time we go to Texas.
First- The brawl
When getting out of the car, I saw Jeff coming and knew he was probably upset we rubbed on the track. What I didn’t know was that he cut a tire down and lost a lap resulting in a bad finish. So I didn’t get his level of frustration at all at the time.
When getting out of the car, I saw Jeff coming and knew he was probably upset we rubbed on the track. What I didn’t know was that he cut a tire down and lost a lap resulting in a bad finish. So I didn’t get his level of frustration at all at the time.
While Jeff was speaking, at least 3 other people were talking/yelling to me at the same time. You can see the 3 at the start of the video, Michael Ribas (pr rep), Jamie little (ESPN) & Brett McMillan (PRN radio). In the process my ears were still ringing from the race as well.
To be honest, I only heard about every other word of what Jeff was saying. I knew it wasn’t pretty but when he threw his arm up, I thought he was done, he had blown of his steam over minor contact and life goes on; so I turned back to the other people talking to me (TV/Radio).
Then the push happened... and next thing we knew it was a pile of bodies.
I remember thinking, “don’t throw a punch or you’ll get suspended.” I was rightfully under probation for losing my cool at Charlotte a few weeks prior and anything else would have made it worse.
I remember thinking, “don’t throw a punch or you’ll get suspended.” I was rightfully under probation for losing my cool at Charlotte a few weeks prior and anything else would have made it worse.
Make no mistake this was a team brawl, but the weird part was that it wasn’t the 2 team vs the 24. Their were multiple teams involved and I’m pretty sure the 5 team was pulling on me. I still don’t get this till this day...
Second- The move
A few weeks prior, Kasey Khane made that same move at Atlanta to win the race. I remember studying it and thinking it was pretty sweet.
A few weeks prior, Kasey Khane made that same move at Atlanta to win the race. I remember studying it and thinking it was pretty sweet.
The week before this we broke a gear in Martinsville and it was clear we had to win 1 of the next 2 races to advance to championship round. When Jeff opened up his entry to 1 and left the same gap Kasey had took a few weeks prior, I knew it was my chance.
At the time when we made contact, I was mad. I still believe their was room to make the move and for all of us to get through. Without contact, we would have won the race and Jeff would have finished in the top-5. We both would have went to Homestead for a championship.
We were on a little fresher tires from the pit sequence and screaming fast at the end of the race. However, The damage from the contact to my car was enough to slow it down immensely to where we couldn’t pass the 48. We finished 3rd. Not enough to move on.
To this day I still get a few angry tweets from fans of Jeff. But I still think it was the right move for my team and will stand behind it 100 %
I also understand a lot better now then in the moment, why it made Jeff so upset.
I also understand a lot better now then in the moment, why it made Jeff so upset.
In the end, Harvick went on to dominate in Phoenix and win in Homestead to render this moment irrelevant to the championship outcome. But it’s fun to wonder what if...
Its also interesting to see how team Brawls continue to evolve in NASCAR. For better or worse.
