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Last weekend saw the ninth running of the Texas 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and, like so many stock car races before it, the night couldn't end without an ugly brawl between rival race teams.
In the firing line was Brad Keslowski, who bumped into title-winning candidate Jeff Gordon, causing Gordon to spin and suffer a flat tyre. Gordon recovered the car to the pits and soldiered on for a 29th place finish, but his championships were effectively over. Gordon decided to let the hapless Keslowski know his feelings on the matter.
A pit-road bust-up ensued with rival pit crews scuffling and name-calling, all in the view of grandstands full of spectators and an army of TV crew. It made Lewis Hamilton's US Grand Prix victory less than 200 miles south look about as hair-raising as afternoon tea at the vicar's.
Truth in, such a brawl was in a weekend's work for NASCAR, which doesn't have the cleanest reputation when it comes to racers keeping their cool on and off the circuit. Here's TG.com's rundown of our favourite stock car scraps.
And remember, kids, violence isn't cool.
Advertisement - Page continues belowMontoya vs Harwick
Ex-F1 driver Juan-Pablo Montoya has - how can we put this? - grown in stature since his switch to NASCAR in 2006. Still, that made him more of an intimidating target to Kevin Harwick after their collision in 2007, who decided nothing more than some light shoving was the order of the day. Harwick's reaction to the interviewer's ‘What were you guys talking about?' question is particularly priceless.
Ambrose vs Mears
Ambrose, 2014. Casey Mears is remonstrating with Marcos Ambrose in the paddock post-race when Ambrose suddenly unleashes a massive right hook into Mear's face. Amazingly, Mears stays on his feet - before piling back in for more with his furious rival. Ouch.
Advertisement - Page continues belowHarwick vs Busch
On a scale of cleverness to stupidity, clambering out of your racecar onto a circuit, running over to your rival and punching him square in the head - while he's still wearing a helmet - ranks very much down on the ‘not so smart' end. But that's exactly what Kevin Harwick chose to do to Kurt Busche in this unbelievable incident.
Biffle vs Sauter
After their second spin of the evening at the 2011 Richmond sprint series event, the excellently named Greg Biffle has had quite enough of his compatriot Jay Sauter. Taking an ill-advised leaf out of Kevin Harwick's book of racing etiquette, Biffle leaps out of his wrecked car and sprints over to lamp the still strapped-in Sauter.
Allison vs Yarborough
Often called the most infamous NASCAR incident of all time, this fight during the 1979 Daytona 500 between the two lead drivers was beamed directly into millions of American homes: yes, this was the first NASCAR race ever to be broadcast on live television. Quite a first impression, hitting one another with your crash helmets, chaps.
Keslowski vs Hamlin, Kenseth, and everyone else
A bizarre incident at Charlotte earlier in 2014 saw cars make contact on the warm-down lap after the chequered flag, and then all hell broke loose. Fast-forward to four minutes into this clip to see a textbook surprise attack between rival team members turn into a full-on melee between the multi-million-dollar motorhomes.
Advertisement - Page continues belowGordon vs Bowyer
It's that man Jeff Gordon again, sounding the starting bell with contact at Phoenix. A further two cars are caught up in the wreckage, and then it all gets awfully ugly among the pit crews. Kudos to the cameraman for keeping up with a seething Clint Boweer as he sprints across the paddock to spark off another brawl in one of the team trucks.
Waltrip vs Speed
What's mesmerizing about this clip of Michael Waltrip battering fellow driver Lake Speed (yes, that is his name) is the calmness of his actions. Waltrip methodically unclips the safety netting of Speed's stricken car, delivers the sucker punch, then casually walks away without a second glance back. Oh, to have heard the respective reactions behind the tinted visors...
Advertisement - Page continues belowTony Stewart vs Matt Kenseth
Tony Stewart, seen here at Bristol Speedway in 2012, opts not to square up to his rival Matt Kenseth, having been wrecked and left a bystander while Kenseth keeps on truckin'. Instead, he lobs his helmet at the moving racecar, provoking praise on his aim from the commentators and not so much as a waggled finger from the nearby marshals. Can't imagine Pastor Maldonado getting away as lightly if he tried something similar, can you?
Tony Stewart vs Kasey Kahne
And to finish, a big brawl. It's 2004, the Chicago 400, and the race has just gone green after a lengthy caution period. The drivers are frustrated, the field tightly packed, and the team ‘spotters' offering advice over the radio are doing overtime. Predictably, carnage ensues, with seven cars getting punted off and a proper wrestling match breaking out in the pit lane itself, as engineers wallop each other while tripping over wheel gun air hoses. Oh, NASCAR, never change.
