Hendrick: NASCAR needs to stop Harvick, Elliott feud

Kevin Harvick was heading to get his revenge on Chase Elliott, believing someplace and by some means, he’d even the rating just after Elliott cost him a acquire last month.

When Harvick sent his payback, it almost knocked the reigning NASCAR winner out of the playoffs. But karma then flipped on The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Harvick wrecked himself right out of the playoffs for the earliest elimination of his occupation when he crashed into the wall as Elliott shut on his bumper.

With the stakes so higher and the Cup title on the line in excess of the remaining four months of the time, is it time for NASCAR to intervene?

Rick Hendrick assumed so after a heartburn-inducing Sunday at the racetrack found 5 minutes from race team headquarters.

“I imagine (NASCAR is) the only ones that can truly stop it,” Hendrick said. “I hope they do mainly because the crew chiefs and everyone can do the ideal they can, but it’s up to the motorists on their own. I have been in this situation just before. NASCAR can handle it.”

The manager viewed for 109 laps as the 4 Hendrick Motorsports motorists dipped up and down down below the playoff elimination cutline. Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman experienced early electrical troubles that could have ruined their races, and when Elliott was virtually sabotaged by a vengeful Harvick, Hendrick experienced viewed more than enough.

“It seemed like Chase could be accomplished and out of the playoffs. It was a good deal of heated feelings,” Hendrick said. “Harvick wrecked himself, I guess. I hope it’s more than. We don’t want to race that way. We want to just race. That is not our design.

“If a dude is greater than you, he wins. Just do your job. If you get defeat, you get defeat. It under no circumstances feels great to thrust somebody out of the way. A small rubbing or one thing, that’s Alright. But just to wreck any person? That’s not good.”

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n the conclude, Larson recovered soon after the two the battery and alternator belt ended up modified in his Chevrolet to gain for the seventh time this season and direct Elliott into the third round of the playoffs. Bowman and William Byron were removed on a working day of blended effects for the Hendrick corporation.

It took a white-knuckled finish by Elliott, who deep down knew he experienced a person coming from Harvick as revenge for keeping Harvick up and costing him the earn at Bristol in the to start with spherical of the playoffs. The two argued after the race and Harvick vowed to make it difficult on Elliott the relaxation of the yr.

But he waited until eventually The Roval, a 17-transform hybrid street class/oval in which get hold of is popular and drivers run into 1 an additional plenty of that Harvick could perhaps make it glimpse clean. Only no just one considered he’d created a miscalculation all-around the midway mark when he turned Elliott into the wall.

Harvick realized exactly what he was accomplishing when he tried to stop Elliott’s bid for again-to-back titles.

“You remember Bristol,” Harvick explained when requested about his intent.

When Harvick was straight questioned if it was deliberate, the driver who has hardly ever backed down from a struggle explained only “occasionally real existence teaches you good lessons.” Harvick walked away when questioned if the feud with NASCAR’s most preferred driver was now in excess of.

The restoration demanded a calculated response from the No. 9 team, which despatched Elliott again on to the keep track of with the bumper flapping off the back again of his Chevy and instructions to wreck Harvick if he experienced the possibility. Elliott navigated his way back by way of the field and correct on to Harvick’s bumper — ideal placement to spoil an additional working day for Harvick.

The two hurtled into the initial switch with 10 laps remaining but Harvick inexplicably botched the entry — practically as if he was defensively driving in his rearview mirror — and crashed hard into the wall. His Ford was ruined and Harvick’s title run introduced to a sudden halt.

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Harvick had hardly ever prior to been knocked out of the playoffs in the next spherical given that the elimination structure began in 2014. He’d produced it to the third spherical in seven consecutive seasons and has raced in the winner-choose-all finale 5 occasions.

But on the day he produced his 750th vocation start, Harvick completed 33rd and was removed along with Christopher Bell, Byron and Bowman.

Elliott didn’t gloat, but his satisfaction was evident.

“As significantly as Kevin goes, I just want to wish them a merry offseason and a pleased Xmas,” Elliott claimed.

It can be over, at least as considerably as Elliott is concerned.

“For us, we’re just eyes ahead and happy to be moving on,” Elliott explained. “Which is the significant image. We’ll keep combating.”

NASCAR races following at Texas Motor Speedway, the similar track where Harvick in 2014 shoved Keselowski into a scrum of Jeff Gordon’s crew to set off a melee. As the two groups brawled on pit road, Harvick stood back and viewed and then gained his only Cup title two weeks later.

Larson was in awe Sunday at the recovery produced by the No. 9 crew and stated he viewed the incident involving Harvick and his teammate on the major display in the Charlotte infield.

“I observed Kevin get into Chase, get his payback I’m guessing. But, man, Chase’s crew did this sort of a excellent work preventing by means of that,” Larson reported. “I assume any other race in the time, you are going to probably give up and just patch it jointly the greatest you can, and the driver also is probably likely to limp it close to and accept that they are not likely to make the upcoming spherical.”

But Larson has no plan what Harvick could have in retail outlet now that Harvick has practically nothing to drop, when Elliott nonetheless needs to get through Texas, Kansas and Martinsville to race for the title. Unlike his boss, Larson wasn’t certain what the upcoming action is or if NASCAR required to intervene.

“I have not been in that problem however to have a correct opinion,” Larson explained. “You never ever know if Kevin’s heading to experience like he continue to owes him far more. That is involving them two. NASCAR, if they sense like they have to have to action in, I don’t definitely have an view of it.”