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Kevin Harvick was going to get revenge on Chase Elliott, believing somewhere and somehow he would even score the score after Elliott cost him a win last month.
When Harvick returned his revenge, it nearly knocked the defending NASCAR champion out of the playoffs. But karma then shifted to the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Harvick destroyed himself in the playoffs for the first elimination of his career when he crashed into the wall as Elliott was closing in on his barrier. shocks.
With the stakes so high and the Cup title on the line for the final four weeks of the season, is it time for NASCAR to step in?
That’s what Rick Hendrick thought after a heart-burning Sunday at the racetrack five minutes from the racing team headquarters.
“I think (NASCAR is) the only ones who can really stop it,” Hendrick said. “I hope they will because the team leaders and everyone can do their best, but it depends on the drivers themselves. I’ve been in this situation before. NASCAR can handle it.”
The boss watched for 109 laps as all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers dived below the cut line for the elimination of the playoffs. Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman had electrical issues early on that could have ruined their races, and when Elliott was nearly sabotaged by a vengeful Harvick, Hendrick had seen enough.
“It looked like Chase could be done and out of the playoffs. It was a lot of passionate feelings,” said Hendrick. “Harvick got destroyed, I guess. I hope it’s over. We don’t want to run that way. We just want to run. It’s not our style.
“If a guy is better than you, he wins. Just do your job. If you are beaten, you are beaten. destroy someone? It’s not good.
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In the end, Larson recovered after the battery and alternator belt were changed in his Chevrolet to win for the seventh time this season and lead Elliott to the third round of the playoffs. Bowman and William Byron were eliminated on a day of mixed results for the Hendrick organization.
It took a white finish for Elliott, who knew deep down he had one coming from Harvick as revenge for holding Harvick and costing him the victory at Bristol in the first round of the playoffs. The two got into a fight after the race and Harvick vowed to make it difficult for Elliott the rest of the year.
But he waited for the Roval, a 17-turn hybrid course / oval in which contacts are common and drivers cross enough that Harvick could perhaps make it clean. Only no one thought he had made a mistake halfway through when he shot Elliott into the wall.
Harvick knew exactly what he was doing when he tried to end Elliott’s bid for back-to-back titles.
“You remember Bristol,” Harvick said when asked about his intention.
When asked directly if Harvick was on purpose, the driver who has never backed down from a fight said “sometimes real life teaches you good lessons.” Harvick walked away when asked if the feud with NASCAR’s most popular driver was now over.
The recovery required a measured response from Team No.9, who sent Elliott back to the track with the bumper flapping in the back of his Chevrolet and instructions to destroy Harvick if given the chance. Elliott came back across the field and straight onto Harvick’s bumper – a perfect position to spoil another day for Harvick.
The two rushed into the first corner with 10 laps to go, but Harvick inexplicably missed the entrance – almost as if he was driving defensively in his rearview mirror – and crashed hard into the wall. His Ford was destroyed and the Harvick title race was suddenly cut short.
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Harvick had never been eliminated from the playoffs in the second round since the start of the playoff format in 2014. He had reached the third round in seven consecutive seasons and made the winner’s final five times.
But on the day he made his 750th career debut, Harvick finished 33rd and was knocked out along with Christopher Bell, Byron and Bowman.
Elliott wasn’t gloating, but his pleasure was evident.
“As for Kevin, I just want to wish them a happy offseason and a merry Christmas,” Elliott said.
It’s over, at least as far as Elliott is concerned.
“For us, we’re just looking to the future and happy to move forward,” Elliott said. “This is the big picture. We will continue to fight. “
NASCAR then races at Texas Motor Speedway, the same track where Harvick in 2014 pushed Keselowski into a Jeff Gordon crew scrum to trigger a scrum. As the two teams scuffled on the pit road, Harvick stood back and watched, then won their only Cup title two weeks later.
Larson was impressed on Sunday with the recovery made by the No.9 team and said he watched the incident between Harvick and his teammate on the big screen in Charlotte’s infield.
“I saw Kevin get into Chase, get his revenge, I guess. But, man, the Chase team did such a good job getting over that,” Larson said. “I think any other race this season you’re probably going to give up and just put it together the best you can, and the driver is also probably going to limp her and accept that he’s not going to do the lap. following .”
But Larson has no idea what Harvick may have in store now that Harvick has nothing to lose, while Elliott still has to cross Texas, Kansas and Martinsville to race for the title. Unlike his boss, Larson was unsure of the next step or if NASCAR should intervene.
“I haven’t been in this situation yet to have a real opinion,” Larson said. “You never know if Kevin is going to feel like he owes him more. It’s between the two of them. NASCAR, if they feel like they have to step in, I don’t really have an opinion there- above.”
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