NASCAR brawl: Sprint Cup title contenders Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski fight after Texas 500 Gordon lunges at Keselowski. ANOTHER weekend, another ugly post-race brawl at a NASCAR race with Brad Keselowski at the centre. This time, it was a furious Jeff Gordon who lunged at the 2012 Sprint Cup champion after a late-race clash during the AAA Texas 500. Gordon had dominated the closing stages of the race until a yellow flag period closed the pack onto his tail for a two-lap green-white-chequers finish. Keselowski bumped into the side of Gordon in an aggressive attempt to pass on the restart, the impact enough to puncture one of Gordon's tyres and causing him to spin. Jimmie Johnson would go on to win the race from Kevin Harvick, while Keselowski finished third. Gordon crossed the line in 29th and parked his car alongside Keselowski's on pit road after the race. Crew members of the two teams had already started punching on as Gordon walked around the front of the No. 2 machine to have a word with Keselowski. Oh no you don't ... The words didn't have the desired effect, with Keselowski turning heel and trying to brush it off. That is until H arvick, watching the scene unfold, walked up and pushed Keselowski back towards Gordon. It was enough to allow the four-time Sprint Cup champion to reach out and grab Keselowski by the collar of his race suit. The scene erupted into a mass of flailing arms and fists as crew members tried to wade in and extract their driver and punch their opposite numbers in equal measure. Both men were left bloodied after the scuffle, with Keselowski and Gordon nursing a fat lip each as well as cuts on their faces. Team members dive in to try and break up the brawl. It's the second time in just a handful of weeks that Keselowski has been the focus of a post-race altercation. Matt Kenseth ran down and tried to crash-tackle Keselowski in the garages after the Charlotte race two weeks ago, after the latter had already been in an argument with fellow rival Denny Hamlin. What is getting everyone so hot under the collar? The new format for NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup. The elimination format started with 16 drivers with 10 races left in the season. Four title hopefuls were trimmed after every three races, leaving just four drivers in a winner-takes-all finale in Miami in two weeks" time. A win guarantees passage to the next phase; a win which Gordon looked set to claim. "Your emotions are high," he added. That was a huge, huge race for us. We had the car and we had the position. I'm so proud of my team and I'm proud of Jimmie Johnson for winning that race and not letting that ... you know what ... win that race. Jeff Gordon Source: FoxSports Gordon gave his take on the on-track clash, followed by a succinct summary of Keselowski's skills behind the wheel. "Outta nowhere I just got slammed by the N. .2 and it cut my left rear tyre," Gordon told ESPN. He's just a dip****, you know? He didn't stop there. "The way he races, I don't know how he's ever won a championship," Gordon added. I'm just sick and tired ... I mean that's why everybody's fighting him and running him down. You can't really have a conversation with him. He beats his own drum, gets himself in this position himself, and he's got to pay the consequences. I'm sure (to NASCAR) it's just a racing incident, but to me it's just a bunch of crap. The kid is just doing stuff way over his head. That's just uncalled for. You're racing for a win and a championship; you don't just slam somebody and cut their left rear tyre. If that's what it takes, then no problem. I can do the same thing back to him. Brad Keselowski. Though adamant he never intended to wreck Gordon, Keselowski was unrepentant for going for a gap. "We were just racing for the win," he explained to ESPN. I was racing him hard and he left a hole. From everything you watch in racing, if you leave a hole you're supposed to go for it. It closed back up and we made contact. I don't want to ruin anyone's day, I want to win a race andthatt was our opportunity. It just didn't come together. Team boss Roger Penske defended Keselowski after the Charlotte incident, the soon-to-be V8 Supercars team owner saying he was happy for his driver to stand up for himself after a few clashes on the track last year. In the wake of this week's brawl, Keselowski is adamant that he will not change the way he races. I've been through a lot of rivalries. I've got a little blood on me right now. I've been roughed up and put in the grandstands, and wrecked. I've done all that stuff. It's not going to change the way I race. I'll race with 100per centt intensity and go for the win, and that's what our fans deserve in NASCAR. I'm too close to the fire to make those decisions, but I do know that it's my job is to race 100per centt, and that's what I did today. I didn't wreck anyone but I certainly raced hard, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. Originally published as NASCAR title fight turns physical, again