Team Tension: NASCAR Feuding at its Finest
As bad as it is to admit, on track feuding and collisions are arguably the most exciting aspect of a NASCAR race. The longer tracks that don’t facilitate much car against car action tend to be less exciting. It’s a well-known but unwritten rule that team mates give each other more space and respect on the track than they do any other driver, but sometimes this doesn’t always pan out. Though the drivers might not agree, seeing teammates go at one another is perhaps the most entertaining of all. This year we’ve seen an unusual number of team feuds that have led to quite an exciting season so far.This season we’ve not only seen the reigniting the Jimmie Johnson-Jeff Gordon rivalry, but the two have also had their share of feuding. Earlier in the season, the two found themselves budding heads in two consecutive Sprint Cup races. The first event at the Texas Motor Speedway seemed to blow over more easily, but when Johnson forced Gordon over in a bold move to the front a week later, the sting lasted a little longer. Having been long time friends and teammates it seems that the feud will blow over. Rick Hendrick, the team’s owner doesn’t seem to mind if the two show a little competition but he also doesn’t want a full blown feud between these drivers. Many have interpreted this feud as a reflection of Gordon’s frustration with the fact that Johnson, who he helped build, has become a winning fiend contesting his own records.Perhaps one of the season’s most eventful feuds occurred between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. During the final segment of the Sprint All-Star Race, Hamlin forced Busch into the wall and caused him to crash out of the race due to a consequential flat tire. Busch then threatened Hamlin over his team radio, swearing to kill Hamlin for ruining his sure to be win. Though the threat was made in the heat of the moment and the two have talked since, the violence and feuding between NASCAR drivers is constantly escalating into more potentially dangerous situations.
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