Bill Fleischman: NASCAR road rage between Newman, Montoya

IT SEEMS A WEEK cannot go by without a Sprint Cup feud. This week's feud

du jour

features

Ryan Newman

and

Juan Pablo Montoya.

Early in Saturday night's Cup race at Richmond, Newman spun Montoya's Chevrolet. A little more than 100 laps later, Montoya, the pole sitter, appeared to retaliate.

Speaking to his crew on the radio, Newman said the situation would be dealt with after the race. Newman finished 20th; Montoya was 29th.

No smackdown occurred after the race. Montoya quickly departed the garage area, while Newman visited the NASCAR hauler to confer with racing officials.

"I'm not really sure the direction it's going to go," Newman said, "but I got a few answers. [Montoya] crashed himself off Turn 2. I don't know if he thought [it] was me on purpose, but the message was delivered that it wasn't intentional. Either way, he ruined our day at that point, and then he finished our day later in the race on purpose.

"To retaliate the way he did didn't show much class."

Both are contenders for the Chase for the Championship: Newman is eighth in points, Montoya is 12th. Newman and Montoya have had their differences before, starting with the 2006 season finale at Homestead, Fla.

"I don't know if [Montoya] could remember back that far," Newman said.

Kurt Busch's and Martin Truex Jr.'s temperature gauge needles also were quivering at Richmond.

The Associated Press reported that Busch launched R-rated rants at his No. 22 Dodge team during the race about his car not being competitive. When Busch ran into Newman's spinning car, Busch went off again.

The 2004 Cup champion is sixth in the standings, but has only one top-10 finish in his last five races.

Truex was furious that the pit crew for his No. 56 Toyota failed to secure a lug nut. Until then, Truex had a strong run at Richmond. He finished 27th.

Truex indicated the problem had occurred in previous races. "It was the best car I've ever had there," he said. "We've run well [but] we have very little to show for it [he is 22nd in points]. In Richmond, it was hard not to say anything."

Truex, from Mayetta, N.J., will have new tire changers and carriers for Saturday's race at Darlington. Two crew members are from Michael Waltrip Racing's backup crew. The other two are from MWR's Nationwide team.

In an interview on Sirius XM radio, Truex said he vented because he was frustrated. He noted that when a driver is alone in his car on the racetrack, the only person he can speak with is his crew chief, but fans and the media also can tune in to the radio communications.

Newman has no wins at Darlington, but has collected six top-five finishes.

"Winning a Southern 500 at Darlington has always been a goal of mine," Newman said. "For me, personally, it ranks right up there with the Daytona 500, the Brickyard and the Coca-Cola 600 as a race I want to win before I retire. I've always considered myself to be a driver who appreciates the history of our sport.

"The Southern 500 is part of this sport's heritage. It's tradition. It has been such an important race, and the track has been such a legendary place to race that, to be added to the list of drivers who have won it - David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty - is a dream of mine."

A.J. Allmendinger also enjoys racing at Darlington. Driving the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, Allmendinger is 11th in points. The 29-year-old Californian recalls the first time he saw "The Track Too Tough to Tame" (I love writing that once a year).

"I looked at it and I thought somebody just completely messed up the design," he said. "It's an insane racetrack. I remember them telling me, 'You're going to hit the wall.' I didn't understand what it meant to hit the wall every lap. [But] I love it. I love the history behind it."

For newer fans, egg-shaped Darlington was NASCAR's first superspeedway (1.366 miles). Starting 43rd in a 75-car field, Johnny Mantz won the inaugural Southern 500 at Darlington in 1950 in a mere 6 hours, 38 minutes, 40 seconds. Mantz, a Californian, started only two other Cup series races. *

Send email to fleiscb@phillynews.com.