Earnhardt Jr., Bowyer speak at Phoenix testing on Charlotte incident
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The post-race melee at Charlotte was a hot topic at Phoenix International Raceway, where drivers from several NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams were testing this week.
In fact, it didn't take long for questions to surface about the incidents that led to NASCAR fining Brad Keselowski $50,000 and Tony Stewart $25,000 and also putting both drivers on probation.
When asked for his thoughts when he saw Matt Kenseth was involved in the fracas, Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 15 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, said playfully: "If Matt Kenseth comes running at you and puts you in a headlock and punches you in the nose, there's no jury needed, there's no judge needed. You're guilty. Period.
"This is the nicest guy in the garage and if you can get him to that breaking point, there's no sense of even saying anything. Just take your beating and go home."
Bowyer was referring to the incident in the garage area Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway when Kenseth went after Keselowski in a fight between haulers that ended with Keselowski's crew chief Paul Wolfe stepping in to hold back Kenseth.
The incident was indicative of the intensity that is building during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as the revamped playoffs move toward this weekend's elimination race at Talladega Superspeedway. The field of 12 Chase drivers will be whittled to eight by the end of Sunday's GEICO 500 (2 p.m. ET, ESPN), and some drivers are desperate for a win in order to advance.
Kenseth, who is one point behind Kasey Kahne for the eighth and final spot in the Eliminator Round, and Keselowski are both locked in a tense situation where a lot will be on the line Sunday.
To see the intensity boil over was not surprising to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who likely needs a win at Talladega in order to advance. And Junior wasn't surprised to see Kenseth react the way he did on Saturday night, either.
"I think he had a nickname when he ran on short tracks called 'Matt the Brat'," Earnhardt Jr. said of Kenseth. "So there's a side of Matt that maybe not all you guys know. He's got a fiery temper and definitely the kind of guy that's going to stand up for himself and not let anyone push him around if he feels wronged."
The new Chase format lends itself to some tense moments that play well on TV.
Said Earnhardt: "I think it's very dramatic and has served us well from an exposure standpoint. We need fans to tune in week in and week out. This has done a good thing on that end of it."
As for why two drivers would get so riled up after a race, especially one without a history of doing so like Kenseth, Bowyer offered perspective from his infamous dust-up with Jeff Gordon at PIR in the second-to-last race of the 2012 season.
"It's like my deal with Gordon, I raced a guy seven, eight years and we were fine, and then we got into it, into a deal that lasted six months," Bowyer said. " Seems like we couldn't get away from each other. You're focused on winning that championship and seemed like everything you did you were racing the 24 car. It seems like God's way of having a little bit of fun."
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