Top 10 quotes of 2003

Note: This is the fifth in NASCAR.com's annual series of top 10 lists. Today's installment focuses on the best quotes in NASCAR's top three series in 2003.

1. Mike Bliss: "He's got a 10-foot ego, and a four-foot body, and it ain't working too good right now."

Series: Busch

We still laugh about this one in the office. In fact, several members of our staff are shocked this little gem didn't win the Fans Voice Award for best quote this year.

Bliss was steaming mad after getting punted by Bobby Hamilton Jr. midway through the New England 200 at Loudon in July. After getting pushed out of the lower groove by Ron Hornaday, Bliss raced the outside lane for fifth place with Hamilton Jr. Hamilton's car slid into Bliss heading into Turn 3, and they touched again in the middle of the corner.

Best of the best Bliss has some words about Hamilton Jr. Play video Harvick and Rudd battle it out at Richmond Play video Gordon talks about his second-place run at Sonoma Play video Riggs wants to thank Hornaday at Richmond Play video Musgrave is hot after losing his shot at the title Play video Brendan Gaughan is upset after his wreck at HMS Play video Sauter celebrates his controversial victory at RIR Play video Green blames his teammate for his troubles at RIR Play video

Coming off Turn 4, Hamilton Jr.'s right-front nudged Bliss' left rear, sending Bliss spinning into the inside guard rail. The right side of Bliss' car sustained heavy damage, and he limped it into the garage area.

There, he called Hamilton Jr. a "sawed-off son of a ..." before comparing Hamilton Jr. with his ego.

What makes this so great is it comes from Bliss, a guy who usually sounds like he's doing his best Ned Flanders imitation.

Like most great art, this quote is truly underappreciated.

2. Kevin Harvick: "Ricky Rudd took a g**damn cheap shot at us. If he is going to take a cheap shot he is going to get one back, I can promise you that."

Series: Winston Cup

Ah, you can always count on Harvick for a memorable quote.

With eight laps remaining in the September race at Richmond, Ricky Rudd got into the back of second-place Harvick, spinning him into the wall. After the race, to no one's surprise, Rudd and Harvick had a heated conversation, after which Harvick spewed the famous quote and added an exclamation point by stomping a mudhole in the hood of Rudd's No. 21 Ford.

You'll really see fireworks in this race next year if NASCAR implements it's proposed playoff system. Under that plan, the fall race at RIR is the last race before the playoffs begin.

Memo to NBC/TNT: Have the bleep button ready.

3. Ricky Rudd: ""I couldn't hear him. He's got that little yap-yap mouth. I couldn't tell what he was saying."

Series: Winston Cup

	The calm before the storm at Richmond.

At first, Rudd took the high road after his disagreement with Harvick at Richmond, saying the incident that caused it was his fault. By the time TNT's Marty Snider asked Rudd what exactly Harvick said to him during the fray, the high road was washed away.

What exactly is a yap-yap mouth, anyway?

4. Scott Riggs: "I gotta thank Ron Hornaday -- for continuing to prove that he is the most disrespectful driver on the racetrack."

Series: Busch

Late in the Funai 250 at Richmond, Riggs was run into the wall by Hornaday on a restart, which was the beginning of the end of a night that saw Riggs fall from first to third in the Busch Series points race.

What makes this quote truly genius is how Riggs begins his tirade calmly. Those of us working in the office that night were actually wondering why Riggs was thanking Hornaday. It was just that convincing

Later in the tirade, Riggs calls Hornaday a "true coward of a driver."

Doubt they're sharing egg nog this week.

5. Brendan Gaughan: "Jimmy Smith can kiss my ass."

Series: Craftsman Truck

	Brendan Gaughan was one wreck away from the NCTS title. Credit: Autostock

Where Riggs sounded like he may have rehearsed his quote, Gaughan proves that simplicity can sometimes pay big dividends.

Gaughan entered the Craftsman Truck Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 26-point lead over Ted Musgrave in a points race that could potentially have put any one of four drivers in the champion's chair.

On lap 101, Gaughan was racing in the top 10 when Marty Houston got loose in Turn 4, and in the effort to correct it hit Gaughan in the right rear. Gaughan spun head-first into the front stretch wall, and after sliding back down the track surface was T-boned just behind the driver's side door area by Brian Reffner, eliminating him from the race and ending his bid for the title.

Gaughan's frustration toward Smith, a Dodge team owner, stemmed from Smith's decision to enter five trucks in Friday's event -- including Houston's.

Houston, we had a problem.

6. Jeff Gordon: "Robby's got a little problem going faster under caution than he does under green."

Series: Winston Cup

Robby Gordon had just beaten Jeff Gordon at Sonoma. In typical, polished, Jeff Gordon style, the four-time NASCAR champion complimented his opponent on his blocking skills and his team's strategy before questioning his ethics.

Amazingly, after the dig, Jeff goes right back to complimenting Robby, saying he "drove the wheels off the car and I did everything I could to get by him."

Still, it's probably doubtful that Robby will be watersking off the back of "24 Karat" anytime soon.

7. Ted Musgrave: "All I can say is next year you're going to see a whole new Ted Musgrave. He's going to be the dirtiest son of a gun going out there on the racetrack and you might as well throw that rulebook away. I ain't going by it no more."

Series: Craftsman Truck

Ya gotta love a quote that doubles as an end-of-season cliffhanger.

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On a restart with two laps to go in the season finale at Homestead, Musgrave darted out of line and pulled alongside Dennis Setzer before they reached the starting line. NASCAR rules prohibit passing on the left before the line and Musgrave was immediately black-flagged, costing him any chance to beat Kvapil for the title.

As it turned out, Musgrave finished in third, 18 points behind champ Travis Kvapil.

Just how far do you think Musgrave will go in '04? Whatever he decides, it should help ratings, at least for the season opener at Daytona.

8. Jeff Green: "Kevin spun me out. We're supposed to be teammates, but it doesn't seem that way right now."

Series: Winston Cup

Memo to all future Nextel Cup Series drivers: Don't rip apart your teammate on national television.

Upset that his RCR teammate, Kevin Harvick, spun him out of the May race at Richmond. Jeff Green unleashed this gem on FX a minute or so later. Two days after this melee, Green was fired by RCR.

There's no I in "team," boys and girls.

9. Johnny Sauter: "If he wants to race that way, we can race that way. He ain't gonna push me around."

Series: Busch

	Sauter had plenty to say after his win at Richmond.

In one of the wildest Busch Series finishes in recent memory, Johnny Sauter used his bumper to pass Matt Kenseth on the final lap to win the Funai 250 at Richmond. He was unapologetic after the race, admitting that he punted Kenseth out of the way intentionally.

If Sauter really wants to impress us when he moves up to Nextel Cup next year, let's see him try that on Jimmy Spencer or Harvick.

Now that's television.

10. Kurt Busch: "See, I'm not very good at being bad. I was trying to flatten the 7 car (Jimmy Spencer's) fender and I got mine. I needed to be further forward on his car."

Series: Winston Cup

	Radio conversation got Kurt Busch in trouble at MIS. Credit: Autostock

This was part of a radio conversation between Busch and his Roush Racing crew during the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan in August in which Busch indicated he had intentionally struck Spencer's car on the racetrack. This, of course, led to the post-race altercation where Spencer allegedly punched Busch while Busch was in his racecar.

Busch's car ran out of fuel, crew chief Jimmy Fennig said, as he tried to drive it back to his hauler after the race.

It stopped, interestingly, in front of Spencer's transporter.

Spencer then rammed Busch's rear bumper, causing the bumper to buckle. Spencer got out of his car and approached Busch, reaching through the window and allegedly punching Busch.

Apparently Kurt, you are pretty good at being bad.