Terrible Teammates

By Mike Harper

A popular online magazine recently released their list of selfish sports stars calling it "12 Terrible Teammates."

Their list included the NFL’s Barry Sanders, Keyshawn Johnson, Ricky Williams and Terrell Owens. Topping the list was retired NBA player Isiah Thomas. While extremely talented athletes represented the NBA and Major League Baseball, the NFL dominated the exclusive list.

Remarkably not one NASCAR driver made the list even though I can remember over the years several on-track incidents between teammates. I certainly can’t pinpoint a NASCAR driver that compares to the likes of Terrell Owens, but I could easily share with a friend or two who I wouldn’t want to be teammates with.

I believe Clint Bowyer should get a big pat on his back for staying off teammate Kevin Harvick at Martinsville a few weeks ago. Bowyer, running second had every opportunity to move Harvick out of his way, but instead listened to car owner Richard Childress and stayed in-line behind his teammate. Harvick took the victory and Bowyer ended up second.

Speaking of teammates, there was a time when life wasn’t so simple at Richard Childress Racing as shown below.

May 2003 Richmond, Kevin Harvick vs. Jeff Green: Harvick got into Green and wrecked him. Green was so upset, afterwards he made a straight line to Harvick’s pit box and had a few words for team owner Richard Childress. "It's one thing to get spun out. It's another thing to get spun out by your teammate. Can't hardly swallow that. Tough to be teammates when it seems like there's only one car at RCR," said Green after the race.

2004 Rockingham, Kevin Harvick vs. Robby Gordon: Just one of many memorable run-ins between Harvick and Gordon. Gordon was a lapped down car and Harvick was leading. During a race restart, Gordon from the inside slid up into Harvick and allowed Jamie McMurray to pass and go on to win the race. "Robby is what he is," Harvick said. "I haven't talked to him. Waste of air. You guys go talk to him, see what kind of stupid answer you get."

Other teammate incidents that captured a place in history include:

May 2004 Nextel All-Star Challenge, Greg Biffle vs. Kurt Busch: Busch went to bump-draft Biffle and ended up wrecking him. "The replay showed that Kurt Busch's head is up his ... I don't know," Biffle said. "Totally don't understand it. Jacked me up off the ground there, wrecked me on the straightaway, Kurt Busch, my teammate."

June 2004 Dover, Jamie McMurray vs. Casey Mears: Mears racing underneath McMurray expected McMurray to cut him some slack. Instead Mears drifted up and wrecked trying to avoid his teammate. "I thought because he was my teammate he would stay up high and not chop me off (but) when he came down I got on the brakes and tried not to wreck him," said Mears. McMurray replied, "He's mad, but he'll get over it."

May 2005 Lowe’s, Dale Earnhardt Jr. vs. Michael Waltrip: A simple case of mistaken identity? Earnhardt Jr. got into the back of his teammate and crashed Waltrip out of the Coke 600. Tony Eury, Waltrip's crew chief and Earnhardt. Jr.'s uncle said, "I don't know what his (Junior's) problem is with Michael, but it'll be fixed -- I'll guarantee it. He acts like he's friends with Waltrip, but every time he gets around him on the racetrack he ends up wrecking him."

October 2005 Martinsville, Rusty Wallace vs. Ryan Newman: It’s no secret these teammates don’t like each other. "I might have won that race in Martinsville, if I wouldn't have had the problem with my teammate at the very end," Wallace said. I want him to race me like his teammate and owner -- not just some other driver that he doesn't like." According to Newman, "You can't always expect teammates to get along."

I saved this one for last. Actually, it’s oddly similar to what NASCAR fans saw during the July Pocono event. During the event, non-teammates Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart tangled on the track. According to Bowyer, "I moved over to let him have it, but instead of going to the inside, he went to the outside. I guess he thought I was racing him. That's the biggest thing about the whole thing: I was trying to get out of his way. Somehow, he took it the wrong way and wrecked me for it."

October 2004 Kansas (Busch Series), Tony Stewart vs. Mike Bliss: These Cup teammates found themselves racing against each other on Saturday during the Busch event. Stewart was racing for Chance 2 and Bliss for Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart was racing his way up on Bliss and the slower Bliss waved Stewart to pass on the inside. Stewart apparently missed the wave and when Bliss held his line, Stewart angrily turned into him for holding him up. In return Bliss turned into Stewart. During the caution flag the two traded a few more bumps. According to witnesses, after the race Stewart confronted Bliss in Bliss' trailer, it became heated and Stewart punched Bliss and wrestled him to the floor. "From what we know right now, it was kind of a family spat," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said at the time. "There was some pushing, some shoving, some cursing." J.D. Gibbs added to the statements by saying, "That happened in our hauler, behind closed doors. I'm going to treat it like it's a family issue. We've dealt with it and we're still dealing with it. But it's one of those things I'd rather not talk about now."

These seven examples of teammates gone bad have one thing in common. Amazingly none of these teammates are teammates any longer. Whether it’s egos, personality conflicts or just hard racing that causes teammate conflicts, like in other professional sports NASCAR does have guys who aren’t the greatest of teammates.

Question. If you were in a race car who would you not want as a teammate and what guy would be the best at watching your back?