The recent race at Kansas marked another chapter in the ongoing rivalry between the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott.
Their history of competitive clashes extends beyond this event, with fans still recalling last season’s incident at Watkins Glen.
As the dust settled on the Kansas race, the tension between Larson and Elliott again came to the forefront, adding another layer to their compelling rivalry.
During the race, a notable incident occurred when Elliott seemed to retaliate against Larson, convinced that Larson had deliberately made contact with him on pit road.
Following the race’s conclusion, Larson faced questions about the incident, where he explained why contact had occurred between the two drivers in the first place.
Chase Elliott Kyle Larson Kansas Contact
Larson offered his perspective on the incident, suggesting that Elliott’s reaction was likely driven by the intensity of the moment.
He candidly admitted that he hadn’t had a chance to review the replay of the incident but anticipated that both he and Elliott would gain clarity by studying it.
Larson expressed his willingness to take responsibility if he had indeed made a mistake, such as failing to leave sufficient space, and emphasized his commitment to making different choices in such situations in the future.
He said, “I’m not sure if he was just trying to time it or was sleeping a little bit. We just didn’t get a good launch at the top lane. Then I tried to poke through his outside, and he blocked. Then I had a good enough run, so I cleared him through the middle.”
He later added, “It’s just a product of being three wide of pit road… The #6 car was pitted up in front of us. He was coming out of the stall. I’m just trying to leave everybody as much room as possible or that I can.”
“The #6 was going much slower as we were approaching him. So I was gonna clobber him if I didn’t move up a little bit. We made a slight contact and and all that,” Larson explained.
Chase Elliott Kyle Larson Kansas | What Happened?
The incident unfolded as both drivers exited the pit road. At that moment, Elliott and Denny Hamlin were running side by side, with Larson rejoining the track alongside them.
Simultaneously, Brad Keselowski was also making his way out of his pit box.
However, Keselowski’s exit was slower than expected, and Larson found himself perilously close to rear-ending him.
In a last-second move to avoid contact with Keselowski, Larson adjusted his trajectory slightly, inadvertently making light contact with his teammate, Elliott.
Following their pit exit, Elliott displayed visible frustration and responded by swerving his car toward Larson, signaling his displeasure at being seemingly bumped by his teammate.
However, upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that Larson’s actions were not intentional, and the contact resulted from the challenging circumstances on the track.
In the heat of the moment, Elliott’s response was driven by emotion rather than a clear understanding of the situation.
Check out the video of the pit road incident and retaliation between the two Hendrick Motorsports teammates:
They’re teammates. 😬
Chase Elliott wasn’t happy with Kyle Larson. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/71G4fYHT72
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 10, 2023
