FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Jeff Gordon knows there could be some desperate drivers in Texas on Sunday trying to get what he already has – one of the four spots to race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in the season finale.
With Matt Kenseth starting a two-race suspension after intentionally wrecking Chase contender Joey Logano last weekend at Martinsville, the big question with only two races and three championship spots left before Homestead is if drivers will change their approach if racing for a win in the late laps.
“Nobody should have to tell you what happened at Martinsville was wrong,” said Brad Keselowski, who has the pole at Texas. “And if somebody has to tell you, then you should have never made it this far in the sport.”
Kenseth’s car was damaged in a wreck with Keselowski. Kenseth later returned to the track and was nine laps down when he drove race-leading Logano into the wall as retaliation for a crash between the two drivers three races earlier.
“Racing is racing. Guys have wrecked each other since racing started, OK? That’s not going to change,” said Martin Truex Jr., who is third in Chase points behind Gordon and Kyle Busch. “Guys get mad all the time. I think that people will go about it differently now because of what happened this week, for sure. How far that goes, I’m not real sure. We’ll have to wait and see.”