Jimmie Johnson hints at revenge against Brad Keselowski after Kentucky incident

Jimmie Johnson spun out after he and Brad Keselowski made contact late in NASCAR’s race at Kentucky.

Welcome to FTW’s NASCAR Feud of the Week, where we provide a detailed breakdown of the latest absurd, funny and sometimes legitimate controversies and issues within the racing world.

It’s been a unusually long time since For The Win’s last Feud of the Week, but NASCAR’s 2020 season so far has been anything but typical (and you can read more about some of that here, here and here).

The latest NASCAR feud is brought to you by veteran drivers Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski, who made contact late in Sunday’s race at Kentucky Speedway — ultimately won by rookie Cole Custer with the upset.

Both drivers were able to finish the race — Johnson came in 18th while Keselowski was ninth – but NASCAR’s seven-time champ in particular was not pleased after the Quaker State 400 ended and hinted on social media about revenge.

Let’s break it down.

A quick recap…

Going into the 17th race of the Cup Series season, Keselowski had won two races: One at Bristol Motor Speedway and one at Charlotte Motor Speedway (the Coca-Cola 600).

Johnson in his final full-time Cup Series season before retiring has yet to win a race and has had two top-5 finishes at Bristol and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Sunday’s race at Kentucky was also Johnson’s first race back since testing positive for COVID-19. The 44-year-old driver tested positive two weeks ago and missed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race last weekend. But he followed NASCAR’s protocol for reinstatement, which included two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart, and returned to the track after missing just one race.

So what happened between Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski at Kentucky?

With only 19 of the 267 total laps remaining, Johnson was restarting third on the inside lane of the 1.5-mile track, and Keselowski was directly behind him in fifth. Almost immediately after the green flag flew, the two made contact — seemingly as Johnson tried to block Keselowski — and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was spinning through the grass on the frontstretch.

After the caution flag came right back out, Keselowski said on his No. 2 Team Penske Ford team’s radio, via NASCAR:

“Ridiculous. He run me off the race track. I don’t run people off the race track.”

Despite the spin, Johnson was able to continue racing, but an 18th-place finish is far from a top-5 one.

As FOX broadcaster Jeff Gordon — Johnson’s former teammate with an ownership stake with Hendrick Motorsports that includes the No. 48 team — noted, Keselowski appeared to have a bit of momentum going, “and Jimmie just wasn’t there quick enough to try to put that block on him.”

What did Jimmie Johnson say after the race?

Johnson doesn’t often take shots at his fellow competitors or call them out on social media. But clearly, Sunday was different.

After the race, Johnson tweeted about the race and hinting at some on-track retribution against Keselowski the next time their positions are reversed.

Johnson was not available to reporters after the race, so this is his only public comment on the incident so far.

What did Brad Keselowski say after the race?

Keselowski, however, was made available afterward, and he explained his side of the situation. He said was trying to move to the inside of Johnson because he had a huge run as Johnson and Ryan Blaney — Keselowski’s teammate who was restarting first just ahead of the No. 48 — were slowing down.

The No. 2 Ford driver said:

“They launched together — the inside lane, Blaney and Jimmie — and they stretched, and then they started to slow down. And as they slowed down, I just had a huge run, and I made a move to the inside. I was turning down towards the grass. I might have had a foot or two, but I couldn’t go much lower. And I don’t know if he was trying to turn down to block me or if he was trying to turn down to get underneath Blaney, but he turned down, and I was too far forward.

“There was kind of unavoidable contact at that time. I don’t know. I hate that it ruined his day. I don’t really necessarily know what to do different. If I stayed in line and just pushed him, I was gonna get gobbled like I did on the last restart, so just part of the mayhem with these restarts.”

So what’s next?

Johnson could have his chance for revenge on Keselowski as early as Wednesday at Bristol in the exhibition All-Star Race, for which both drivers are qualified. Although spinning out the No. 2 Ford driver wouldn’t have a negative impact on the driver standings, it could keep him from winning the $1 million prize.

As far as points races go, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

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