Keselowski not only one to blame for Texas brawl

WATCHING the postrace "festivities" after Sunday's Texas race, I thought a hockey-style bench-clearing brawl had erupted. I kept expecting to see Dave Schultz and Bob Kelly.

As soon as Jeff Gordon parked his race car next to Brad Keselowski's car, I expected some action. When Gordon confronted Keselowski with edgy crew members and others in the vicinity, I was convinced something would happen. It did.

After Gordon confronted Keselowski, the brawl began. Serious punches were thrown with the two drivers suffering facial cuts. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the melee.

Let's not overlook Kevin Harvick's role in the mess, which captured national attention. Walking up behind Keselowski, Harvick shoved him toward Gordon. The late Dale Earnhardt Sr. was known as "The Intimidator." Kevin Harvick is now "The Instigator."

Since it's the second time in this year's Chase that Keselowski has scuffled with another Chaser, it's easy to blame "Bad Brad."

Following the Oct. 11 race at Charlotte, Keselowski slammed his car into the rear of Matt Kenseth's car after he had removed his seat belts and racing helmet. An angry Kenseth, normally as laid-back as Gordon, pursued Keselowski to where the team haulers were parked and wrapped him in a head lock.

On ESPN's postrace show Sunday, former driver Ricky Craven said he's "never seen this level of disdain for one driver."

However, this time, I don't think Keselowski blundered on the final restart, darting for the opening between Gordon on the outside and Jimmie Johnson on the inside. Both Keselowski and Gordon wanted to win at Texas to guarantee they would advance to the Chase's final four.

Afterward, I thought perhaps Keselowski's sudden arrival between the Hendrick Motorsports teammates surprised Gordon. But Eddie D'Hondt, Gordon's spotter, said on Sirius XM Tuesday he told Gordon Keselowski was making his move.

Gordon went from leading to finishing 29th. He's still fourth in points, but only a precarious one point ahead of Kenseth and Carl Edwards.

Rusty Wallace is among those supporting Keselowski's move.

"I think he's a talented guy that's aggressive that wants to win real, real bad," Wallace, an ESPN analyst, said on a Tuesday conference call. "The guy is aggressive, he wants to win, he's going for it.

"A lot of analysts and a lot of people [are] backing Brad's decision that when Jeff Gordon took the high line going into Turn 1 on the restart and that hole opened up, as a competitor with just a handful of laps to go, when he saw that hole and Brad went for it.

"Jeff Gordon got the raw end, because his left rear got bumped and he got a flat tire. But I don't think there's a driver in the world that would not have tried to put their car in that hole and go for it. He's been aggressive. He's ruffled some feathers, but I've seen a lot of other drivers do it, and I'd rather have a driver driving for me that's aggressive instead of the other way around."

Wallace, the 1989 Cup series champion, retired before Keselowski swaggered into the series. Denny Hamlin, a fellow Chaser who competes againt Keselowski, said the 2012 Chase champion's main problem is that he shows no remorse when he is involved in incidents.

"It's tough to win a championship if nobody likes you," Hamlin said. "You always have to just watch your mirror, and that's a tough way to race. As drivers, you're just [wanting] someone to say, 'I'm sorry I ruined your day. I screwed up. I apologize.' When that doesn't get said, then immediately it just lights a fire in your stomach that . . . he doesn't have any remorse. It's just, like, 'Oh, well, it's your problem.'

"If Brad would have talked to Jeff and said, 'Man, I was going for a hole. It was my only chance, you know; I'm really sorry it cut your tire,' I think it goes totally different."

NASCAR should reconsider its procedure on restarts late in Chase races when accidents in the back of the field occur. If non-Chaser Clint Bowyer hadn't brought out the caution flag with nine laps remaining, Gordon likely had the race won. The race leader shouldn't lose his advantage when an accident occurs among drivers not in contention to win. If, in this case, Gordon had a 1.3-second lead before the caution, he should hold that margin when the race resumes. It's up to his pursuers to overtake him on the track.

We know NASCAR thrives on the drama and excitement of restarts, but a race leader should be rewarded for being in front.

NASCAR is getting its money's worth in drama: All Elite Eight drivers will go all out to win Sunday at Phoenix to guarantee they'll be in the final four at Homestead, Fla., Nov. 16. If none of the eight wins at Phoenix, the top four in points will make up the final four.

Gordon, Keselowski and Harvick escaped penalties for their roles in the Texas craziness. Crew chiefs Kenny Francis (Kasey Kahne) and Alan Gustafson (Gordon) were fined $50,000 each and placed on NASCAR probation through the next six Sprint Cup Series races. NASCAR said they failed to assume responsibility for the behavior of their team members and for "actions detrimental to stock car racing."

Gordon crew members Dwayne Doucette and Jason Ingle and Jeremy Fuller, a crewman with Kahne's team, were fined $25,000 each and suspended through the next six Cup races. All three were found in violation of "actions detrimental to stock car racing." Dean Mozingo, another Gordon crew member, was fined $10,000 and suspended from for the next three races for the same violations.

Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500

Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.

When: Sunday, 3 p.m.

TV/Radio: ESPN/WNPV (1440-AM)

Course: 1-mile oval

Distance: 312 laps/500 kilometers

Forecast: sunny, mid-80s

Last year's winner: Kevin Harvick

Last year's pole: Jimmie Johnson, 139.222 mph

Track qualifying record: Brad Keselowski, 139.384 (March 2014)

Track facts: Kevin Harvick has the most wins at Phoenix (five). He won this year's "winter" race at Phoenix, leading 224 laps, including the last 64. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second; Brad Keselowski was third. Jimmie Johnson has the second-most wins at the track (four) ... Among the other Elite Eight Chasers, Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards have two wins each at Phoenix. Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth each has one victory. Joey Logano is 0 for 11 starts (two top-five finishes), Keselowski is 0 for 10 (three top fives).

Wins: Brad Keselowski, 6; Joey Logano, 5; Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jimmie Johnson, 4 each; Kevin Harvick, 3 each; Carl Edwards, 2; Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, A.J. Allmendinger, Kasey Kahne, 1 each.

CHASE STANDINGS (Eliminator Round)

1. Joey Logano 4072

2. Denny Hamlin 4072

3. Ryan Newman 4070

4. Jeff Gordon 4060

5. Matt Kenseth 4059

6. Carl Edwards 4059

7. Brad Keselowski 4055

8. Kevin Harvick 4054

Up next: Ford Ecoboost 400, Nov. 16, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla., 3 p.m.; TV: ESPN; last year's winner: Denny Hamlin.