Few moments in NASCAR’s playoff era are remembered as vividly as the post-race confrontation between Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski at Texas Motor Speedway in 2014. However, more than a decade later, Gordon has now offered a different perspective on the incident. 

During the 2014 AAA Texas 500, Jeff Gordon was in contention for the championship title and was running in second. However, Brad Keselowski made contact with him, leaving Gordon with a flat tire and causing him to spin out of the race. Following this, the two drivers got into a brawl on the pit road. 

During his recent appearance on the "Bussin with the Boys" podcast, Gordon was questioned about the brawl at the time. He admitted that he still wasn't a fan of Keselowski’s move but believes that the RFK driver did not have any ill intentions. 

"Listen, it wasn't totally fair to put all that on Brad at that time," Gordon said on the podcast. "I think that, I still don't like the move that he made, but at the same time, I can't knock him. I don't feel like it was intentional. I don't feel like it was just a blatant thing that was like, 'Hey, I'm taking Jeff out of this racing championship.' But at that moment, that's what it felt like."

This incident ultimately eliminated Jeff Gordon from the championship and remains one of the most defining moments of the 2014 season. This brawl resulted in a lot of penalties being handed out to the pit crews of both teams.

While Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon were actively involved in the brawl, there was another driver who gave a little nudge to start it all.

Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick look back on Texas 2014

Granted, Gordon tried to catch hold of Keselowski after climbing out of the car. However, it was Kevin Harvick’s little push to Keselowski that allowed Gordon to get a hold of his fire suit. 

Looking back on the incident during an episode of 'Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour,' Harvick recalled giving the nudge. 

"I was standing at the back of the car watching this whole thing kind of go on, and really, it was supposed to be a shoulder tap. ‘Hey man, get in there and fight your own fight,'" Harvick said, as reported by NASCAR.com. "Next thing I know it was just a little bit of a nudge about 4 feet forward."

Later on, the nudge got its own little hashtag on social media: #Harvicking, which meant the act of pushing another from behind. 

The 2014 Texas brawl, to this day, is one of the most infamous fights Jeff Gordon got into.

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco