Getty A massive fight took place at Texas Motor Speedway.
Back in 2014, Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon took part in a massive fight after a Cup Series playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway. Now Kevin Harvick has explained why he pushed Keselowski and started the brawl.
The 2014 Cup Series champion provided the insight during an appearance on “Stacking Pennies With Corey LaJoie.” As he explained, his decision to push Keselowski closer to Gordon is a big regret for him. Harvick also went into detail about why he made that infamous move.
Jeff Gordon vs. Brad Keselowski. 🥊
The first time @NASCAR went to @TXMotorSpeedway under the #NASCARPlayoffs format, Gordon and Keselowski fought hard on and off the track.
“I know what I was thinking when I pushed him into the fight and then it caused the chaos,” Harvick said. “For me, my mind was, ‘Man, we didn’t win tonight. We need chaos.’ In the end, we made it to Homestead.
“…We needed the story to go elsewhere other than us and being out of contention. It did exactly what I wanted it to do, but it’s not the best thing for your kids to find on YouTube, starting the fight.”
One interesting detail from the conversation is that Harvick said Kyle Busch won the championship. He misspoke. The fight took place at Texas in 2014 after Jimmie Johnson won the race. Harvick went on to win the final two races of the year, as well as the championship. Busch’s first championship was the following season.
Contact Shook Up the Race’s Outcome
The fight was the product of a late restart at Texas Motor Speedway. The field lined up after an accident involving Clint Bowyer, and they prepared for an overtime restart. Gordon, who was one point below the cutline, lined up on the outside while Johnson took the inside. Keselowski was behind Johnson while Harvick was behind Gordon.
Once the green flag waved, Johnson pulled ahead while the rest of the field battled for second place. Gordon moved down the track while Keselowski moved up after getting a big run, which resulted in contact between them. This cut Gordon’s tire and led to him spinning into the middle of the field. Though he was able to avoid getting hit by any other driver.
Gordon had to head down pit road for fresh tires, and he fell a lap down after he was unable to beat the No. 48 back to the line. Gordon went on to finish 29th overall while Johnson, Harvick, and Keselowski finished 1-2-3.
The 29th-place finish hurt Gordon’s championship hopes. He entered the final race of the Round of Eight without a points cushion, and he missed out on the championship four after Ryan Newman’s final-lap pass of Kyle Larson eliminated the No. 24 team from contention.
Harvick Has Changed Considerably Over the Years
GettyCup Series drivers race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2014.
There were several interesting comments made by Harvick during his appearance on “Stacking Pennies with Corey LaJoie.” His regret over the 2014 Texas brawl was one that jumped out. Another was Harvick explaining that he occasionally stirred the pot because he needed to “put on a show” when he wasn’t contending for a win.
Another fascinating moment in the conversation was when Harvick explained how he has changed over the years. He spoke openly about the friction between him and other members of Richard Childress Racing. He explained how he could have avoided that with a different approach by being a communicator and having a better understanding.
The situation significantly changed when Harvick joined forces with Rodney Childers at Stewart-Haas Racing. Childers told him that he wasn’t going to run into cars, scream, and do many other things that he had done at RCR.
“From that point on, I realized that I’m just a part of this process,” Harvick added. “I can’t just be the a****** that walks in and says, ‘You’re stupid, our cars are terrible.’ Just scream and yell, this and that. That isn’t going to fix anything.”
The change in approach has led to Harvick closing out a Hall of Fame-worthy career. He has reached 60 career Cup Series wins, won the championship, and put himself within reach of 800 career starts.