CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Denny Hamlin thinks most drivers don't respect Brad Keselowski, and the contempt stems from the 2012 NASCAR champion's refusal to show any remorse for his aggressive driving.
Hamlin spoke during a national conference call Tuesday, two days after a brawl between Keselowski and Jeff Gordon on pit road at Texas Motor Speedway.
Hamlin said the consensus among his peers was Keselowski didn't have enough space to attempt a pass of Gordon in the closing laps of Sunday's race. Keselowski's bid to squeeze his car through a gap between Gordon and Jimmie Johnson after a restart led to contact between Gordon and Keselowski, which triggered a post-race fight that left both drivers slightly bloodied.
"I think the challenge a lot of drivers probably have right now with Brad is there's no remorse," Hamlin said. "He has the right to feel the way that he feels - but when there's no accountability ... they're going to be upset with you.
"It's tough to win a championship if nobody likes you. That is going to be a very, very tough task."
Hamlin and Keselowski infamously feuded for three seasons, and it came to a head in 2009 when they tangled repeatedly on the track in the Nationwide Series. Hamlin complained repeatedly Keselowski refused to engage in reasonable conversation about their incidents.
The two raced incident-free for many years and had their first major scrap last month at Charlotte, where Keselowski lost his cool following the race. Hamlin had to be restrained from confronting him, and Matt Kenseth jumped Keselowski from behind in the darkened garage.
Keselowski was fined $50,000 by NASCAR for his behavior, but Hamlin and Kenseth went unpunished.
Keselowski then overcame a week of criticism from his peers to win at Talladega and advance into the third round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Then Sunday, Keselowski used an aggressive move on Gordon to try to win the race.
It led to contact with Gordon that caused the four-time champion to spin after his tire went down. Gordon went from racing for the win to a 29th-place finish Sunday, and he confronted Keselowski on pit road. Kevin Harvick shoved Keselowski from behind that triggered a brawl between the teams and drivers.
"You're just looking for someone to say, "Man, I'm sorry I ruined your day. I screwed up. I apologize,'" Hamlin said. "When that doesn't get said, then it immediately lights a fire in your stomach that he doesn't have any remorse. He's just like, "Oh well, it's your problem.'
"That just lights a fire in your inside."