Fights have long been a part of NASCAR, and it was a post-race brawl that helped propel NASCAR into the national spotlight for the first time. The 1979 Daytona 500 was the first 500-mile NASCAR race to be broadcast live, flag-to-flag, on national television (courtesy of CBS). Much of the east coast was also completely snowed in on that day, so a lot of people were watching the big race.
Well, it ended with Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashing in a last-lap wreck while battling for the win, handing the victory to Richard Petty. At the site of the crash, the two drivers started throwing punches with Donnie's brother Bobby Allison stopping to join the brawl. Ken Squier’s call of the ensuing fight is still remembered today:
"There's a fight! The tempers overflowing! They're angry … They know they have lost."
Little did NASCAR know, the brawls were only getting started. Here's some of the most memorable fights from the recent years of NASCAR Cup Series competition:
2010 Texas: Jeff Gordon vs. Jeff Burton
A surprising fight between two of the most experienced drivers in the field. An angry Burton turned Gordon under caution, destroying both cars. Gordon then marched down the backstretch towards Burton, but he had no intentions of talking things out. The pair immediately began shoving and grabbing at each other. Doesn't look like anyone landed a real punch, however.
2011 Darlington: Kevin Harvick vs. Kyle Busch
This barely counts as a fight, but it's too memorable not to mention due to the sheer oddity of it. After getting into it on the track, Busch spun Harvick out as a caution flew late in the race. After the checkered flag, Harvick began chasing Busch around the apron of the track in their cars. He then parked in front of Busch, climbed out of his black No. 29, and walked back to Busch's No. 18 to confront him. Rather than engage with words, Busch pushed the driver-less No. 29 into the pit wall as Harvick reached in and smacked him in the helmet!
2012 Phoenix: Crew of Jeff Gordon vs. Clint Bowyer
This confrontation was building for months. When Bowyer made a three-wide move on a Martinsville restart in April of that year, he ended up wrecking into the Hendrick cars and denying Gordon a shot at securing the 200th team win for HMS. Fast forward to Phoenix in November: Bowyer, who was in contention for the title, got into Gordon again and cut his tire down. Gordon retaliated, turning Bowyer head-on into the wall and taking Matt Kenseth with them. Bowyer's pit crew then jumped Gordon back in the garage area, with Bowyer famously climbing out of his own car and running through the garage to try and find Gordon and fight him as well. He got as far as the No. 24 hauler before NASCAR officials stopped him.
2013 Fontana: Tony Stewart vs. Joey Logano
Logano had just crashed with Denny Hamlin in the battle for the race win as the culmination of a brewing feud between the two drivers. Because of that, no one was thinking about Stewart, who had apparently taken issue with the way Logano blocked him on a late-race restart. He parked his car next to Logano and lunged at him.
2014 Charlotte: Brad Keselowski vs. Matt Kenseth (and several others)
Keselowski was making everyone mad in this race. After some on-track contact, Keselowski started playing bumper cars with Hamlin and Kenseth on the cool-down lap. In the chaos, he also hit Stewart, who threw his car into reverse and rammed the wayward Penske driver. There was a brief confrontation with Hamlin that followed, with some pushing and shoving between the crews. However, the truly wild moment happened seconds later. Keselowski was walking away between the Penske haulers when shouting can be heard, and out of nowhere Kenseth arrived, tackling Keselowski. The pit crews joined in and there was suddenly a sea of people filling the small gap between haulers.
2014 Texas: Jeff Gordon vs. Brad Keselowki (with help from Kevin Harvick)
In one of the most memorable brawls of the modern era, Keselowski was at it again at Texas. In a critical playoff race, Keselowski forced his way up the middle on the restart, cutting Gordon's tire. After the race, Gordon approached him and they shared some heated words, but there was no altercation. However, Harvick was standing nearby and then shoved Keselowski towards Gordon, who immediately lunged. An all-out brawl ensued between pit crews, with both drivers emerging bloodied from the crowd.
2017 Las Vegas: Kyle Busch vs. Joey Logano
Logano spun Busch in a battle for position on the last lap of this race, and Rowdy was feeling pretty angry about it. He walked over to him on pit road after the race and immediately threw a punch, but being in full view of the Penske crew, Busch ended up on the ground with a bloody forehead soon after.
2019 Martinsville: Denny Hamlin vs. Joey Logano
Hamlin squeezed Logano into the wall late in the race, and Logano was furious. They shared a conversation on pit road, but when Logano put his hand on Hamlin's shoulder before walking off, Hamlin couldn't let it go. Seconds later, they were pushing and shoving with a crew member taking Hamlin to the ground. He tried to get at Logano again, but NASCAR officials weren't about to let that happen.
2022 Las Vegas: Bubba Wallace vs. Kyle Larson
After Larson slid up the track and pushed Wallace into the wall, Wallace retaliated, turning Larson (and himself) head-on into the wall. But that wasn't the end of it, with Wallace lunging at Larson in the infield, shoving him multiple times with Larson not really fighting back.
2023 Kansas: Ross Chastain vs. Noah Gragson
Chastain had been involved in several on-track incidents during 2022 and 2023.At Kansas in 2023, Gragson decided to do something about it after a side-by-side battle with Chastain ended with Gragson bouncing off the wall. The two drivers had also collided at Talladega two weeks prior. Gragson grabbed Chastain, while Chastain warned him to take his hands off. When Gragson did not listen, Chastain punched him square in the face.
2024 All-Star Race: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. vs. Kyle Busch
Context: Early in the main event, Busch wasn't thrilled with how aggressive Stenhouse got with him, and sent the driver of the No. 47 crashing into the wall. Stenhouse waited the entire race for Busch, standing ominously by his hauler. After a brief conversation, Stenhouse punched him in the face and the crew members quickly joined the fight. Even Stenhouse's father got involved, going after KB.
2026 Bristol: Carson Hocevar vs. Ryan Blaney
Watch: From on-track to fight, this is what happened between Blaney and Hocevar
This one should be fresh in the minds of everyone in 2026. After Hocevar attempted to cross back underneath Blaney as Blaney moved to block, Hocevar did not lift and Blaney crashed into the outside wall. After the race, Blaney confronted Hocevar in the pits, getting punched twice in the face. He then lunged at Hocevar a second time, but did not land a punch.
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.
Read the full article here
