Keselowski 'should have wrecked' rookie Byron in NASCAR Daytona race
Penske's Brad Keselowski says he should have wrecked Hendrick Motorsports rookie William Byron in the NASCAR Cup series race at Daytona
Keselowski was caught up in a 20-car pile-up triggered by Ricky Stenhouse Jr in a dramatic attrition-filled race won by Erik Jones.
But the crash began when Byron blocked Keselowski, forcing him to check up before Stenhouse spun the Penske driver out.
Keselowski, who has yet to win a race in 2018, refused to blame Stenhouse for the incident, despite several other drivers criticising the Roush Fenway Racing man post-race.
"Ricky was doing the best he could to give me a good push and he had a great run to take the lead and the car in front of me [Byron] just threw a late, bad block," Keselowski said.
"I made the mistake of lifting instead of just driving through him and that's my fault. I know better than that.
"I've got to wreck more people and then they'll stop blocking me late and behind like that. That's my fault.
"I'll take the credit for my team and we'll go to Talladega and we'll wreck everybody that throws a bad block like that."
Keselowski took a further swipe at Byron for his inexperience, with the Hendrick driver joining the series as reigning second-tier Xfinity series champion for 2018.
"You got a list of drivers that are making moves that are unqualified to make and it causes big wrecks," said Keselowski.
"That was one of those. It was my fault because I lifted. I should have wrecked him and sent a message to the whole field."
Keselowski's comments were put to Byron after he was cleared from the medical centre following the second crash of the race 11 laps after the first.
Byron placed the blame on Stenhouse.
"He [Keselowski] got hit from behind, so I didn't get hit anywhere," said Byron.
"If he would've hit me, I would've tried to move or save it, but I never got hit. "He just [got] hit from behind me [by Stenhouse].
"Everybody blocks as much as that, so I don't see any difference in it. He got hit from behind."
Leading venue owner: Lack of star power lowering NASCAR attendances
NASCAR adjusts Charlotte 'roval' chicane after test corner-cutting
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes