Rivalries have always played an important part in NASCAR’s history! Find out the top five rivalries that NASCAR needs in its future! See which youngsters need to stir up some dust and which veterans could spark up an old rivalry!
The closer you get, the further I fall! As the days click off, we are getting closer and closer to the 2019 Daytona 500, causing me to fall harder and harder for some NASCAR racing! Though not far from Alabama, everyone’s gears are shifting towards the Sunshine State of Florida!
With just over one month until the season begins, my mind has been juggling all sorts of ideas on what could be great for the sport in 2019 and beyond! Lately, my mind has been set on rivalries!
I’ve said for years that the sport needs rivalries. They add suspense, drive the drama fans yearn for and add yet another race inside the race from week to week.
Looking back in NASCAR‘s history, outspoken and silent rivalries have defined its golden years! Whether it was Richard Petty vs. David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt vs. Jeff Gordon or Brad Keselowski vs. Carl Edwards, drivers at odds take the sport from a Sunday drive to a clash of the titans!
So what am I getting to?
I want to lay out the top five rivalries the sport could use in the coming years. Some of these rivalries have been sparked in the past, and others would bloom beautifully right in front of our eyes.
Enough with setting the stage. Let’s find out what the top five rivalries the sport could use moving forward are!
#5: Christopher Bell vs. Kyle Larson
Just close your eyes and imagine two of the best dirt slingers in the world battling it out in full-size stock cars on Sundays. Then open your eyes, and realize this is very possible in the coming years.
Kyle Larson, who is a NASCAR Cup Series veteran now, has shown the willingness to put everything on the line to win Cup Series races. His undeniable talent with a mix of spunk makes him a fan-favorite on race day.
In addition to Larson, the sport has now been introduced to one of the best prospects we’ve seen in quite some time: Christopher Bell.
Bell has looked like Larson 2.0, but with better composure. Bell has the same raw talent as Larson, but he could be even better than the flashy Cup Series veteran.
These two battling it out on Sundays would put butts in seats, bar none. This would likely be more like a Jeff Gordon vs. Dale Earnhardt rivalry, where the drivers themselves have nothing but respect for each other but will use slidejobs, bumping, banging and everything in between to one-up each other.
Larson and Bell would race similarly to Larson and Kyle Busch at Chicagoland Speedway last year. Not only would they be friends racing each other, they both have the talent to put on a firework show out of this world.
Plain and simple, this rivalry would fuel fans to turn their television to races on a weekly basis. These two pure talents ooze mainstream interest and could reach beyond the NASCAR community. A sport with both of these stars going neck and neck can’t go wrong.
Fortunately for us, this battle is very realistic.
#4: Martin Truex Jr. vs. Joey Logano
Picking number four was easy. We witnessed Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano, now the two most recent NASCAR Cup Series champions, go at each other at Martinsville Speedway last fall, and boy they didn’t disappoint.
Logano, who won the battle and the “damn” war, as Truex Jr. called it, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, irritated the 2017 champion with his late bump and run to win the race last October.
While on-track redemption didn’t come for Truex Jr. in 2018, it will be interesting to see how these two Cup Series stars handle each other on the track. I don’t want to blow this out of proportion, but I believe this rivalry could be similar to Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski’s rivalry over the years.
They will simmer down and then flare up every few years.
No matter the case, this would be a great rivalry for the sport to witness moving forward. Both drivers have had smaller bouts with drivers in the past, but this rivalry would give a different face to the word rivalry in NASCAR.
Instead of being the notorious bad boys of NASCAR like Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, Logano and Truex Jr. add to the mix of drivers you may not want to mess with on Sunday.
These two drivers have also been known to have more passive aggressive personalities, which could create a different style of rivalry on track. It doesn’t matter how you cut it; two defending Cup Series champions going at each other only adds eyeballs to the sport.
Logano has always had a silent feud with former team Joe Gibbs Racing, and Truex Jr., now driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would only add to the tension!
#3: Brad Keselowski vs. Kyle Busch
Talk about a throwback! These two former NASCAR Cup Series champions have been at each other’s throats for years. Whether it was in the late 2000s when Brad Keselowski was putting on his bright green GoDaddy fire suit for JR Motorsports, or when Busch dumped his No. 22 Discount Tire Penske Racing Dodge at Bristol Motor Speedway, these two fierce competitors have crossed paths a time or two.
Both former Xfinity and Cup Series champions, Keselowski and Busch haven’t been shy about their hate/hate relationship. In addition to being two of the biggest modern era superstars, both drivers have also showcased some of the biggest personalities in the last decade.
Busch, known as the “do anything to win” driver has often had to deal with the pesky “busted my tail to get here” Keselowski. These two not only put on a show on the track, but they know how to spar with their words on camera.
The natural hatred for each other can be found in their existence in the sport. Busch has been a hot commodity since his teenage years, while Keselowski had to start from the ground up, racing for his father. Two completely different paths led to both drivers dueling on Sunday afternoons.
This rivalry is as classic as they get. This is Rusty Wallace vs. Jeff Gordon all over again. Both are champions, both can win on any given weekend and both have an attitude. It’s been a while since this rivalry has flared up, but if it does, we should all be in for a treat.
This single rivalry could elevate the sports for years to come. Race fans like drama, and boy would this add drama on Sundays!
#2: Kyle Busch vs. Kevin Harvick
Let’s discuss yet another classic rivalry in modern NASCAR, Kyle Busch vs. Kevin Harvick. Much like Brad Keselowski, Harvick is another hard-nosed veteran who has stood in Busch’s way before.
This rivalry kicked off in the mid-2000s and has always remained relevant in the Cup Series garage. I’ll never forget when this rivalry reached its peak at Darlington Raceway in 2011. If you don’t remember, Clint Bowyer spun late in the race, and then following his spin, Busch turned Harvick after the two made contact the corner before.
Harvick saved his car and eventually confronted Busch on pit road after the race. Busch remained in his car, Harvick reached in, then Busch accelerated, moving Harvick’s car into the inside wall.
This rivalry has flashed time and time again, and it remains relevant due to the mainstream success of both drivers. In fact, 2018 was a year in which both drivers were considered the best in the garage.
If fans could get lucky enough to see this rivalry unfold again, we could be in for a classic battle. This could be the biggest rivalry in NASCAR history under the right circumstances.
Fortunately yet unfortunately, both drivers have matured from their hot-headed nature over the last few years. Both became fathers, won championships and became the faces of their respective race teams. It’s unlikely that we will see these two tangle once again, but with the duo constantly running near each other up front, nothing is out of the realm of possibility.
Just remember last year’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Anything is possible.
#1: Chase Elliott vs. Ryan Blaney
Mark this one down as highly doubtful but something race fans should beg for. A Chase Elliott vs. Ryan Blaney rivalry could change the sport forever.
No, I’m not exaggerating; this could be HUGE.
Imagine back in the early 2000’s if Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. truly became rivals to one another. That would have revolutionized the sport and potentially saved NASCAR from the predicament it is in now.
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If two of the most popular drivers went at each other week in and week out, the sport would easily be rejuvenated.
Just imagine turning on your TV every weekend knowing that these same guys will go at each other’s throats to win. This doesn’t have to be a rivalry based on dislike for one another, rather one solely based on competition.
These two drivers are great friends, so the likelihood of a Kyle Busch vs. Kevin Harvick-type of rivalry is highly unlikely, but if both drivers can become true championship contenders, fans will be in for a treat for decades to come.
The bottom line is WE NEED THIS. This can be the Dale Earnhardt vs. Jeff Gordon of the modern era — two household names, racing hard from week to week with the occasionally bump, bang and everything in between.
Makes no bones about it; if Elliott and Blaney can manage a genuine rivalry, NASCAR can become bigger than it has ever been before.
Thanks for reading! Who do you think would make a great rivalry in the NASCAR Cup Series? Do you agree with our list? If so, tell us why! If not, what would you change? I hope you all have a great week! See you next time!