20 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR Truck Series History: #17. Kevin Harvick

#17. Kevin Harvick 

Stats:

Years: 1995-1999, 2001-2005, 2007-2013
Championships: None
Wins: 14
Top 10s: 61

Tony Stewart's Actions on Pit Road Dangerous, Further Damage His Reputation

Things got a little wild at the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night thanks to a little hard racing between Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth and their tempers bubbling over afterward.

After Kevin Harvick had taken the checkered flag as the race winner Keselowski and Hamlin got into a little banging back and forth before heading into the pits. Upon heading into the pits Keselowski and Kenseth then showed their displeasure with each other after making contact on a restart earlier in the race.

Keselowski’s retaliation toward Kenseth on pit road got a little out of hand and led to the No. 2 driver accidentally slamming into the back of Tony Stewart’s Chevrolet. Stewart, taking umbrage to this, threw his car in reverse, gassed it and slammed into the front of Keselowski’s Ford causing significant damage.

Both Hamlin and Kenseth wanted a piece of Keselowski after the race ended with Hamlin being corralled and taken away by a crew member and Kenseth tackling Keselowski in between haulers in the garage area, before a small fight took place between crew members of each team.

While Keselowski, Hamlin and Kenseth engaged in the “fun stuff” after the race I believe that everything they did fits into what NASCAR likes to call “boys have at it.”

What Tony Stewart did on pit road was a little bit more than “boys have at it” and something that doesn’t help his “hothead” reputation within the sport, especially given the tragic circumstances between him and the late dirt track racer Kevin Ward Jr. in New York in August.

NASCAR likely won’t do anything to punish Stewart, because they are probably more concerned about the actions of Keselowski, Kenseth and Hamlin, as are the NASCAR media and fans. But, I believe what Stewart did during this post race incident was the most unacceptable moment of the whole melee.

Drivers throwing their vehicles into reverse and gassing them into parked cars behind them is incredibly dangerous and should not be accepted in the sport. Not only is it incredibly dangerous, but this action (whether rightfully provoked or not) shows that Stewart is quick to anger, which is the exact thing that he doesn’t need to be seen as at this moment, even if he wasn’t charged in the death of Ward.

Keselowski, Kenseth and Hamlin are going to get the headlines after tonight’s race, but it’s the momentary lack of judgment by Stewart that really should take some of the focus.

Nice to See Nice Guy Dale Jr. Win Again

One-hundred and forty-three races is an eternity to go without winning if you’re the biggest star and name in NASCAR. But that’s exactly what Dale Earnhardt Jr., the face of the sport, had gone through in the last four years. 

Luckily for Dale Jr., NASCAR and NASCAR fans that streak came to an end at Michigan Speedway on Sunday afternoon in dominating fashion as Dale Earnhardt Jr. just blew away his competition. When Junior crossed the finish line and received that checkered flag his next closest competition, Tony Stewart, was a whopping five-plus seconds behind him. 

I know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. may be the most overrated athlete in sports and I know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is probably not one of the best 10 drivers in his sport. However, I’m thrilled for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Junior Nation and really the entire sport of NASCAR in general. 

Why? 

Because Dale Earnhardt Jr. might be the nicest guy in NASCAR. 

Sure, guys like Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards have done a lot of winning over the last four years when Junior was struggling and not even close to Victory Lane, but if given the chance to spend an afternoon or have a beer with any of those guys I wouldn’t take it. I seriously wouldn’t. They all come off as jerks … which, unfortunately, means that many of NASCAR’s biggest names or stars are jerks. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never once come off as a jerk, even amidst an epic losing streak that gave him every reason in the world to be one. He’s friendly. He’s humble. He’s down to Earth and fits a good ole boy mode that once was commonplace in the sport, but doesn’t seem to exist much anymore. Sure, Dale Earnhardt Jr. got a lot of his fans because of the family name. But, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is his own man, he’s not as arrogant or hard-headed as his father was, he’s more of the nice guy next door that you’d love for your daughter to date. Dale Jr. is good people and in a sport that seems to be lacking sometimes in good people it’s refreshing to see him succeed.

10 Least Deserving Athlete Nicknames

There aren't many athletes who have nicknames that aren't deserving. Here are 10 I found.

1. "King James" LeBron James

2. "Baby Jordan" Harold Miner

3. "Princess" Danica Patrick

4. "Pudge" Ivan Rodriguez

5. "Happy" Kevin Harvick

6. "Captain Clutch" Acie Law IV

7. "Franchise" Steve Francis

8. "King Felix" Felix Hernandez

9. "Fourth Quarter Vince" Vince Young

10. "Dice K" Daisuke Matsuzaka

Honorable Mention: "The Professional" Eli Manning

Possible One for the Future: "Sliced Bread" Joey Logano