NASCAR Has It's Share of Rivalries

A couple of years ago, NASCAR lacked a good old fashion rivalry, one such as Richard Petty/Bobby Allison, or Dale Earnhardt/ Darrell Waltrip. The media tried to hype up a Dale Earnhardt Jr/Jeff Gordon rivalry, but they infrequently shared in on-track tussles. The only rivalry that exists between NASCAR's most popular drivers is in the grandstands. The Kurt Busch/Jimmy Spencer feud was the most notorious one since Rusty Wallace threw a water bottle at Dale Earnhardt at Bristol in 1995. But neither Busch nor Spencer were considered big name drivers at the peak of their animosity.

But over the last couple of years, it seems as if driver rivalries have resurfaced.

Last year, Kevin Harvick and Joe Nemechek had several issues. At Daytona, Nemechek was disparaging of Harvick's driving style. A few months later, Harvick practically attacked Nemechek on the infield grass at Lowe's Motor Speedway after an accident that was instigated by neither driver.

Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart had several run-ins last year. At Daytona, Stewart and Johnson traded paint on the final lap, and after the race, Stewart displayed his discontentment. At Phoenix, Johnson just flat-out wrecked Stewart. During the Nextel Cup Chase For the Championship, at Martinsville, the two drivers, and even crew chiefs traded barbs.

Penske Racing South teammates Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman have feuded and disputed ever since Newman was a rookie. Kurt Busch and his former boss Jack Roush engaged in a feud after Busch decided that Penske Racing had greener grass than Roush Racing, which ultimately resulted in Busch being suspended for the final two races after a traffic violation.

Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart had an incident at Dover last June, and this little rivalry has simmered ever since they clashed at Watkins Glen in 2000.

This year, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth have already developed a good guy vs. bad boy rivalry, similar to the Dale Earnhardt vs. Bill Elliott feud back in the mid to late 1980's. Stewart has banged fenders with second-year driver Kyle Busch on several occasions. He even tangled with road racing ace Boris Said at Infineon a couple of weeks ago.

Kevin Harvick has tried to provoke Kurt Busch into an all-out war, but Kurt has yet to really bite. But Harvick did entertain fans and media members with a comical verbal assault at Bristol in March.

Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson, the rookie class of 2002, spoke some abrasive words after racing for the win at Daytona back in February. Newman, never one to mince words, criticized Johnson and his team after they were caught bending the rules yet again. That goaded Johnson into bringing to attention Newman's questionable fuel mileage wins in 2003.

But the rivalry that has taken precedent is Jeff Gordon vs. Matt Kenseth. Kenseth spun out Gordon on the final lap of the Food City 500 at Bristol, which resulted in Gordon shoving Kenseth in the pits. The feud seemed to kind of disappear until Gordon spun out Kenseth in the closing laps of the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland.

Unlike years ago, NASCAR is under the mainstream microscope, and drivers are forced to put aside their differences for appearance sake. But it seems as if the competition has become so intense, drivers tend to let their emotions dictate their actions rather than worrying about what mainstream America thinks- which is how it should be.