Winless SHR man Kevin Harvick had a shot at his first win of the 2021 Cup Series campaign in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol, however HMS driver Chase Elliott — who was angry at Harvick for cutting his tire earlier in the race — held him up and allowed Kyle Larson to go to the lead and the win.
Elliott led a race-high 175 laps but Harvick passed him with just 33 laps to go in an aggressive race in which their rides touched. It caused a flat tire on Elliott’s Chevrolet while Harvick was able to drive away scratch free.
Any time you run into him, it’s a problem,” Harvick said after the race, which was met with boos from the fans in attendance.
“They can boo all they want. I don’t care,” Harvick exclaimed.
Harvick would go on to say he was so mad, he was ready to fight.
“God damn, I’m ready to rip someone’s freaking head off right now,” Harvick shouted.
Kevin Harvick was headed to his first victory of the season, his last win was Bristol a year ago, but a furious Elliott returned to the track after a tire change and deliberately slowed down in front of Harvick in an attempt to ruin Kevin race.
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“It’s something he does all the time,” Elliott stated of Harvick to a smattering of applause. “He runs into your left side constantly at other tracks. Sometimes it cuts your left side, other times it doesn’t.
“He did it to me a couple of weeks ago at Darlington, because he was tired of racing me. Whether he did it on purpose, it doesn’t matter. At some point you have to draw the line. I don’t care who he is, or how long he’s been doing it.”
An exchanging of words.
Tempers flaring between Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/BuKiNmyuQG
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 19, 2021