It’s been 11 days since Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick got into each other — first on track at Bristol Motor Speedway and then in multiple heated confrontations after the night race ended — but the feud between playoff drivers remains a hot topic in NASCAR.
While Elliott signaled Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that he was ready to move on, Harvick continued to chastise the No. 9 Chevrolet driver, using some choice words and comparing Elliott to a 9 year old.
And now, fellow playoff driver Joey Logano weighed in on the situation.
Speaking with the media Wednesday, Logano said, via NASCAR.com, he was “surprised” by Elliott’s and Harvick’s quarreling comments, but — like everyone pretty much else on the outside of this feud — he also found them “humorous” and “pretty entertaining.”
But the No. 22 Ford driver said he’s not siding with either one of them and can appreciate both their perspectives. But he acknowledged he’d “be mad on either side of it.”
.@chaseelliott: Big mad pic.twitter.com/AClXOtWgpx
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 19, 2021
Two weekends ago at Bristol in the first playoff elimination race, Harvick and Elliott made contact while Harvick passed for the lead with 35 laps to go. Elliott had to pit for a cut tire and lost several laps because of it, but when he returned to the track, he got in front of Harvick, took away the No. 4 Ford’s line and aided Kyle Larson’s eventual victory.
After the race, Elliott accused Harvick of running into drivers all the time, and Harvick called Elliott’s blocking “a chicken-[expletive] move.” Then Sunday at Las Vegas, Harvick said Elliott can’t race other drivers hard for track positions and be surprised when they race hard back.
When asked at Las Vegas about possible retribution from Harvick or any of his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates, Elliott played it cool and said in part: “They can do whatever they want.”
But when asked how he’d feel in Elliott’s position, Logano spoke candidly. More from NASCAR.com:
“I’d be nervous. I’d be maybe a little nervous about the situation, you know, depending on who goes on to the next round or not,” Logano said. “It could really affect how things go. I feel like I’ve learned a lot of lessons in this sport. Some have cost me a lot. That might be one that really cost me a lot. So, you know, they get smarter every year, but you know I think we all handle things differently after going through things in the past.”
Despite not winning any of the first three playoff races, Harvick and Elliott both advanced to the next round when the playoff field was cut down to 12 drivers from the starting 16 title contenders. Going into this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, Elliott is sixth in the standings and 22 points above the cutoff line, while Harvick is 10th and seven points below it. Logano also advanced to the Round of 12 and is seventh in the standings and six points above the cutoff.
Wednesday, Logano shared his thoughts on the notion of Harvick playing mind games and said, “Games are played every day, I believe so.” And then he relayed some of his past experiences with Harvick.
More from Logano, per NASCAR.com:
“I believe when you’re out there racing for a win, it’s a battle from every standpoint, whether it’s on track or off track, I believe sometimes it’s a battle. And that ratchets up. Kevin has been known to be that guy at times. I think how many times he’s made little comments to me, you know, and that seems to ratchet up as the intensity picks up. I feel like he may think it’s a tool in his box that he can use, and you know, it may be successful for him. It’s probably why he does it, maybe he finds it works. Maybe he finds it works for him as much as hurting somebody else. I can’t answer those questions.”
After Denny Hamlin won the first race in the Cup Series playoffs Round of 12, NASCAR is headed to Talladega Superspeedway for the Yellawood 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC). Then NASCAR will take on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval for the second playoff elimination race on Oct. 10.
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