Aric Almirola, Brian Scott Clash After Kansas NASCAR Nationwide Series Race

NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott exchanged angry words and had to be separated by their crews following Saturday’s race at Kansas Speedway.

After Almirola finished 12th and Scott finished 17th, the drivers confronted one another on pit road and Scott could be heard vowing payback on Almirola. Their dispute dates back to an incident last month at Richmond, and it continued on Saturday with more hard racing.

Scott, still steamed after Almirola wrecked him at Richmond International Raceway, raced the JR Motorsports driver hard and (according to Almirola) tried to spin him early in Saturday’s Kansas race. So when Almirola caught Scott later in the race, he returned the favor.

“He thinks I wrecked him on purpose at Richmond and he still hasn’t gotten over it,” Almirola said. “... That’s what he’s mad about – he’s mad I don’t give him any room on the racetrack. He races way over his head.”

Almirola then took a shot at Scott’s buy-a-ride background. Scott comes from a wealthy family that has been able to fund his racing efforts.

“He’s very fortunate his dad has a lot of money and spends a lot of money on his racing,” Almirola said. “That’s a big factor in what he’s got going on.”

Scott fired back with a tweet referencing Almirola’s roots, which came in Joe Gibbs Racing’s diversity program.

@bscottracing: Hmm if I’m lucky that my family has money then he is lucky for having the Drive 4 Diversity program. Doesn’t matter 2 me how u get ur break.

”Really, it”s an issue that”s been building all year,” Scott told ESPN after the race. “He”s run into the back of me on restarts, he wrecked me at Richmond, he walls me at Chicago. He races like it”s the last lap every time he”s around me, and I”ve had enough of it.

”He”s cost me a car and he continues to race like that, so I went and I just told him how I felt. I told him that I owed him one and I told him if he”s going to continue to race like that then I”m probably going to slip up and wreck him.””

Scott also said Almirola races like a “jack-you-know-what.”

”It”s just an every week thing and I”m sick of it,” he said. “I”m not going to put up with it anymore and that”s what I told him. ... He obviously has an issue with me and now I have a pretty big issue with him.”

Below: Aric Almirola and Brian Scott exchange words on pit road (Photo: Jeff Gluck / SB Nation)