#9-Chase Elliott & #4-Kevin Harvick had a heated discussion on pit road Saturday night following the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The two drivers made contact on track late in the race while battling for the lead. Elliott cut a tire down and had to pit under green. He lost two laps and finished 25th.
The video and their comments follow:
The boys are talking. The boys are shoving.
IT’S BRISTOL BABY. pic.twitter.com/EIghd7Sc8s
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 19, 2021
KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Subway Delivery Ford Mustang —
WHAT WAS YOUR CONVERSATION WITH CHASE AFTER THE RACE? “I told him it was kind of a chicken @#@# move that he did there at the end. We‘re racing for the frickin win at Bristol. We‘re three-wide in the middle and he throws a temper tantrum, like I was just trying to get the lead and race him hard. Then he pulls up in front of me and just sits there until I lose the whole lead, so I just hate it for our Subway Ford Mustang team to be able to lose a race like that. I watched him let the 24 go by and then anytime you run into him it‘s a problem. They can boo all they want. I don‘t care.”
HOW MUCH OF THIS IS COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT YOU WERE SO CLOSE TO WINNING? “I lost so much there and then when I got behind the car I kept getting tight off the corner and I couldn‘t run my line. I‘m ready to rip somebody‘s freaking head off.”
WHAT WAS YOUR DISCUSSION LIKE WITH CHASE? “I just told him it was chicken @#@# what he did. Instead of racing hard, he just sat out there and rode around like he did in the first stage for his teammate instead of racing hard. I mean, the guy hangs on my right-rear fender every week and we‘re racing for the lead at Bristol and you throw a temper tantrum like that? I just hate it for my Subway Ford Mustang team.”
WHAT HAPPENED WITH CHASE? “What else do you say? You throw a temper tantrum like you‘re two years old because you got passed for the lead and got a flat tire. We barely even rubbed. It‘s all Chase‘s way or it‘s no way and if he doesn‘t get his way, then he throws a fit. He did the same thing earlier. He let the 24 go by in the middle of the stage and then just rode around until the 5 caught me, and I was tight behind him, and we wound up getting passed by the 5, so I just hate it for our guys.”
WHAT DID HE SAY TO YOU POST-RACE? “Who cares?”
WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HIM? “I told him I wanted to rip his freaking head off.”
— Ford Performance —
Elliott’s comments:
Q. You don’t feel you were raced very well by Kevin there.
CHASE ELLIOTT: Well, it’s something he does all the time. He runs into your left side constantly at other tracks. Sometimes it does cut down your left side, other times it doesn’t. Did it to me in Darlington a few weeks ago because he was tired of racing me.
Whether he did it on purpose doesn’t matter. At some point you have to draw a line. I don’t care who he is or how long he’s been doing it, I’m going to stand up for myself and my team and we’re going down the road.
Q. This happens a lot of places you said. Things like this typically happen at Bristol.
CHASE ELLIOTT: I just ran my line. I’m super happy for Kyle, man. He’s had a heck of a year. He’s a good dude. A great race car driver. Deserves his accomplishments, deserves his success.
I’m happy for Team Hendrick. Wish I could have got our Hooters Chevrolet in Victory Lane. But we’ll try again next week.
— NASCAR —
