NASCAR world is equal to crashes and collisions. It’s been a common occurrence for as long as anyone can remember. But the recent incident at the Thanksgiving Classic, where Kaden Honeycutt was pushed into the wall by Brenden Queen, didn’t sit well with many. Reflecting on Josh Berry’s commendable and respectful performance, Honeycutt recently echoed a sentiment earlier voiced by Kyle Busch.
Following the clash between Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain at Phoenix, Kyle Busch didn’t mince words: “We have completely lost any sense of respect in the garage area between drivers. That’s where the problem lies. Nobody gives two [expletives] about anybody else and it’s just a problem where everybody takes advantage of everybody as much as they can.” Sharing the viewpoint, Honeycutt, feeling the sting of his encounter with Queen, lamented the growing disrespect in the sport, noting that Josh, on the other hand, raced the right way.
Kaden Honeycutt firmly believes in the idea that what you put out in the world eventually comes back to you
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In the thrilling last lap of a recent Thanksgiving Classic race, Brenden Queen threw caution to the wind and stirred up quite a storm. He didn’t just ruffle Josh Berry’s feathers but also got under Kaden Honeycutt’s skin in a bid to snatch the lead. Berry was hot on Queen’s heels, and their tussle opened a window for Honeycutt, starting from the pole position, to jump into the fray, turning it into an intense three-way battle. However, Honeycutt’s shot at victory was blocked by Queen’s aggressive defense, leaving him far from happy with Queen’s tactics in those heart-stopping final moments.
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In a recent chat on Sirius XM NASCAR, Honeycutt delved into the rough-and-tumble world of asphalt late-model racing, emphasizing his desire to win ‘the right way.’ He reflected, “You know, obviously there’s a respect level and there’s a reason why people move on in the sport and there’s a reason why people will keep on doing what they do for the next 10 years. Josh did it the right way. He had his time, he’d had his dues and he got moved up, but some people have continued to do the same stuff over and over and they haven’t improved.”
He went on to stress that he doesn’t want to fall into that category. In his view, the right approach, not resorting to wrecking others intentionally, pays off in the long run. “And we are pretty prone to fighting and all that type of stuff. It’s sucks because you can’t teach the guy a lesson physically. All you can do is just run your mouth at them and maybe he’ll fix it, which I can promise you, that’s never going to happen. If that comes down to that type of racing next year, we’ll just have to see how people start it and then finish it the rest of the year. But we’ll just see, I’m not going to change anything I’m going to try to do. And that’s when one races the right way.”
.@KadenWHoneycutt reflects on the aggressive nature of asphalt late model racing and says he wants to “do it the right way” when it comes to racing for the win.
Plus, how does he show his frustration if he can’t “teach the guy a lesson physically” anymore in the @CARSTour? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YGQfjoeaEv
— Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) December 19, 2023
On the flip side, Brenden Queen initially offered an apology for his on-track behavior, but as time passed, he seemed to have convinced himself that he hadn’t done anything wrong.
Brenden Queen stands firmly by his actions, with no regrets to speak of
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On one hand, you have Kaden Honeycutt advocating for respectful driving. But during those nail-biting final laps, there was a moment when Queen and Honeycutt’s #17 car came into contact, a move Honeycutt didn’t particularly appreciate.
Post-race, Brenden Queen acknowledged his respect for Honeycutt but questioned just how significant their clash on the track really was. Amidst the heat of the battle, with three drivers neck and neck for the lead, Queen, at 26, believed that any brush with Honeycutt was merely a gentle nudge. However, in a gesture of sportsmanship, he offered an apology to Honeycutt even before getting a chance to replay the incident.
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However, later on, Queen made his stance clear. As reported by Short Track Scene, he said, “I don’t regret anything. I don’t know why he was upset with me. I know he made some comments that Josh didn’t do anything and it was just me running him up to the fourth groove. We were mutually using each other and mutually using the brake to keep each other from crossing each other up. That was all hard, good racing.”
So, what’s your take on this tussle? Are you siding with Kaden Honeycutt’s view on respectful racing, or do you align with Brenden Queen’s no-holds-barred approach?