NASCAR FEUD IS THE PITS!
Fears brawling drivers will kill each other on the track
NASCAR rising stars Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton are locked in a ferocious rivalry on the track that exploded in an embarrassing, rock ’em, sock ’em brawl racing insiders fear could lead to a fatal crash.
The slugfest followed an ontrack clash when Gragson, 21, rammed his car into the back of 19-year-old Burton’s at the end of a 200-mile NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kentucky Speedway July 10.
The bump cost Burton a Top Five finish.
The prickly pair leaped from their cars at the end of the race and after Burton pushed him twice, Gragson threw a punch. They ended up on the ground wrestling and socking.
A source says NASCAR bigwigs privately reprimanded the young bucks, but veteran drivers are ticked off “because they’re not only putting themselves in mortal danger with this feud, they’re putting other drivers in peril as well.
“The older drivers let them know about it.”
The source says the root of the feud is more than just two youngsters “trying to make it to the big leagues and move up to the NASCAR championship series.”
Gragson resents Burton is part of racing royalty, insiders dish. His dad, Jeff Burton, was a NASCAR star and now a racing commentator for NBC, and so was his Uncle Ward.
Jeff previously slammed Gragson’s aggressive style after he knocked his son out of contention by ramming him during a May event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Burton says he got support from other drivers after socking Gragson.
“I had a lot of people come up to me and say that was a long time coming,” he says.
But the source warns: “If they continue to lose focus and just gun for each other, it could turn deadly.”