Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson had a remarkable outing at the Hollywood Casino 400 with both battling for the lead at various points and finishing in the top six.
However, it was an incident on the pit road that caught the attention of spectators and raised eyebrows.
During the final restart at Kansas Speedway, a pit road incident occurred between Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, as Larson was exiting his pit box to avoid Brad Keselowski’s Ford, he unintentionally hit Elliott’s No. 9 Chevy.
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The two were racing three wide to the pit exit, which created a precarious situation.
Chase Elliott wasn’t pleased with the collision on the pit road and retaliated by swerving into Kyle Larson’s No.5 Chevy.
Chase Elliott gets called out for his behavior towards teammate Kyle Larson
Danielle Trotta an American journalist who covers auto racing for Sirius XM called out Elliott for intentionally bumping Kyle Larson.
“Chase’s behavior was totally unacceptable in a year where his decision making has been questionable to the point of being suspended.” – Trotta.
After the race, Chase Elliott quickly approached Kyle Larson’s car to discuss the pit road incident and clear any misunderstandings.
🔥 "Chase's behavior was totally unacceptable in a year where his decision making has been questionable to the point of being suspended."@DanielleTrotta calls out Chase Elliott's conduct toward Kyle Larson yesterday at @kansasspeedway.
What's your take? ⬇️ #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/rDnT6J6A3a
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) September 11, 2023
The two drivers had a conversation, which seemed to resolve the issue between them. It’s crucial for teammates to maintain a good relationship to foster a positive team dynamic and achieve better results on the track.
Despite the pit road collision, both Hendrick Motorsports Chevies came out relatively unscathed. Larson went on to finish fourth, while Elliott claimed sixth place in the Hollywood Casino 400.
Elliott acknowledged that he may not have had the pace to challenge Denny Hamlin or Tyler Reddick for the win, but he felt satisfied with the progress made.
When Chase Elliott passed Denny Hamlin just before the first section was run, Jeff Burton made the comment, “There goes a non chase drier taking away points from a chase driver.
When the drivers are at home having a beer and replaying the race and they hear that from one of the announcers it’s going to make them wonder if they’re supposed to be trying to win or just run along behind the chase drivers. Nascar should fine him for popping off like that!