NASCAR

Brad Keselowski Did Nothing Wrong To Warrant Jeff Gordon’s Ire

By Ryan Pritt on November 3, 2014

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It’s no secret that Brad Keselowski has drawn the ire of a number of his competitors over the years, and a lot of the time, it has been well warranted. But on Sunday, after an on-track incident led to a melee on pit road with an irate Jeff Gordon, Keselowski’s conscious should be clean.

The new format in the Chase for the Sprint Cup has raised the stakes week in and week out to new heights, and that’s led to multiple skirmishes on and off the track with Keselowski seemingly involved in all of them. Maybe his reputation and past offenses shortened Gordon’s fuse even further, but Keselowski’s actions at the end of the race on Sunday were aggressive, not excessive.

Keselowski found himself in a big hole after mechanical problems led to a 31st-place finish at Martinsville in the first race of the Eliminator round. On Sunday, during the first attempt at a green-white checkered finish, Keselowski saw a hole open up between race leader Jimmie Johnson and Gordon and a possible lane to a win that would have guaranteed a spot in the championship race at Homestead in two weeks.

It was a risk Keselowski, and any of the other eight remaining Chasers had they been in his position, could afford not to take.

Gordon, who arguably had the best car all day, came down the race track. Contact was made, and the result was a cut tire and spinout for Gordon, who went on to finish 29th. Gordon’s emotions could be completely understood after seeing his chance to put a championship race berth nearly on ice slip away, but his actions and post-race comments were anything but justified.

To Keselowski’s credit, he handled the situation well in his post-race comments:

“We were just racing for the win. I didn’t wreck him, and just raced him hard. He left a hole. Everything you watch in racing, you leave a hole, you’re supposed to go for it … I don’t want to ruin anyone’s day. I wanted to win the race and that was the opportunity.”

Keselowski has won six races this year. He won a championship two years ago. He’s acquired that success through aggressiveness and guts and by now, that’s no secret to anyone. In some cases, his penchant for pushing the envelop has rubbed drivers the wrong way and in many cases, it has been tough to make a case in his defense. On Sunday, after scratching and clawing his way back into contention with a third-place finish, his reputation preceded him.

Ryan Pritt is a NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @RPritt, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.