Threat of payback lingers at Martinsville

Over the course of a season, transgressions among drivers gather like coins in a couch, waiting for the opportune time to be collected. Drivers have long memories and given time, they will eventually extract retribution.

If revenge is on your mind, then no venue presents a better opportunity than Martinsville Speedway, the slowest and shortest on the Sprint Cup schedule. Its tight confines create unavoidable contact on every lap. An idyllic environment to send a message via a tap of the fender -- or something more drastic if so desired.

“You take any animosity that’s been built up over the season into that race and that is certainly a place that people feel like that they can payback,” said Jeff Gordon, an eight-time Martinsville winner. “If there are some guys out there doing that, I just hope I’m not on their list.”

If there is a driver who needs to be concerned Sunday, all signs point towards one individual.

Two weeks ago at Charlotte Motor Speedway Brad Keselowski was involved in separate incidents with Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin. An incensed Kenseth blindsided Keselowski in the garage post-race putting him in a headlock, while Hamlin had to physically be restrained by crewmembers.

Kenseth has downplayed whether Martinsville will be where he pays Keselowski back for Charlotte, as well as a series of incidents throughout the season.

In addition to Charlotte, Keselowski intentionally slammed into Kenseth following the April race at Richmond International Raceway. The next week Keselowski, though multiple laps down, triggered a crash knocking out Kenseth and several others.

“Part of the risk you take when you do somebody wrong on purpose is that someday you might get that back,” Kenseth said. “Obviously, if you make somebody mad enough, they’re probably going to try to figure out how to do that when it hurts the most. That’s human nature.”

The grudge against Keselowski isn’t just carried by Kenseth and Hamlin.

Kurt Busch had a run-in on pit road with Keselowski in the April Martinsville race. Keselowski went to the garage for repairs; Busch went on to win. In-between threats were made with Busch saying, “I’m going to go (expletive) that dude’s (expletive) face up.” And last month Keselowski and Kevin Harvick exchanged fender rubs at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Although Harvick isn’t hell-bent on vengeance, he hasn’t necessarily forgotten either.

“I don’t want to get into the middle of his problems,” Harvick said. “He’s definitely got some problems.

“I was run into in Loudon and that’s the only thing in the back of my mind. You play those cards as you play them.”

Despite having a bull’s-eye seemingly on his back, Keselowski is nonplussed.

“I’ve made people angry my whole career,” Keselowski said. “And I’ll probably make people angry again. That’s how the sport works.”

Helping alleviate Keselowski’s fears that he may be targeted is how high the stakes are Sunday for himself, Kenseth, Hamlin and Harvick, all of whom advanced to Round 3 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. With just as much to lose, engaging in some sort of vendetta may be imprudent, as Keselowski could easily retaliate.

“I don’t know anybody that is retiring this year,” Keselowski said. “So if there’s anybody wanting to go down that road, we’ll be right there with them for the next 10 years that they’re in the sport. I think it’s probably in everyone’s collective interest not to go down that path.”

Not that Keselowski is the only Chaser needing to be mindful of those around him Sunday.

Joey Logano, Keselowski’s teammate, tagged and spun Danica Patrick at Charlotte. She immediately vowed revenge, before remembering Logano was already securely in the third round of the Chase.

Perhaps Patrick was thinking a more suitable time would present itself later? Such a time would certainly be Martinsville, where it’s imperative Logano record a good finish to avoid playoff elimination. Not surprisingly, he sought Patrick out to apologize and explained they “were moving forward” and “came to a good conclusion of what happened.”

But, in the heat of the moment with a chance to settle an old score, nothing is a given.

“We’re men,” Keselowski said. “We get mad and then we forget. But not completely forget.”