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The Unfortunate Incident Between Chase Elliott and Teammate Kyle Larson

Published 03/15/2023, 11:16 AM EDT

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There’s a reason NASCAR remains one of the most competitive sports around the globe. It not only creates fierce competition between rivals but also instigates high-intensity battles among teammates. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson are two of the best drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. With the former winning the title in 2020 and the latter in 2021, both have a real good taste of success in their young career.

It must be a privilege for the two to drive and be part of Hendrick Motorsports. The NASCAR giants have inherited quite the team now and look very promising for the future. Having said that, the team must be having high expectations from both Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. While healthy competition is always advisable, it has sometimes gotten out of hand between the two.

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Elliott and Larson have been competing from a very young age and are only getting better with time. Having said that, they became teammates in the 2021 season when Larson joined Hendrick Motorsports from Chip Ganassi Racing. Since then, they have had their ups and downs on the track as it all started last year at Fontana.

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Know about the most talked-about incident between Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson

Coming off his 2021 title win, Larson was beaming with confidence and keen on repeating the feat in the 2022 season. On came the Auto Club Speedway race in Fontana. With just under 20 laps to go, Larson was in a tussle with Joey Logano before Chase Elliott came riding up the outside. What happened next was probably instinct from Larson as he veered to his right, with Elliott ramming into the wall.

This saw the No. 9 driver run out of contention to win the race and eventually, Larson ended up as the winner. Clearly, Elliott wasn’t too happy about it. Later on, Larson did go on to admit that it was a mistake but the damage was already done. However, Elliott remained patient and did not make any fuss in the public about it.

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His patience, though. was tested six months later this incident, when the duo was once again involved in a clash. Following a caution and with five laps remaining, Larson shoved Elliott out of the way to take the lead. Once again, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion emerged as the winner, this time at Watkins Glen International. Clearly, Elliott was hard-done the second time in the same season by his own teammate.

This is how Chase Elliott responded after the unfortunate race

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It is understandable how frustrating it might have been for Chase Elliott given all the efforts he had put in. It only got more annoying for him, knowing it was his very own teammate. After the race, Elliott was seen speaking with team owner Rick Hendrick and Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon.

While it certainly didn’t look all well from Elliott’s face, the young driver was quite calm and polite in his post-race conference. He congratulated Larson for the victory, saying that it was a great job and that he thoroughly deserved it. All said and done, it was difficult to digest given how Elliott had lost all enthusiasm after the incident. On the other hand, Kyle Larson had plenty to say.

Kyle Larson also opened up about his clash with Elliott

It was the second time in the 2022 season that Larson had been the guilty party in a clash with Elliott. But the former Chip Ganassi Racing driver was quite open about what happened. As per The Athletic, he said, “I did what I felt like I had to do to get the win and get some bonus points that we desperately need as we head on into the playoffs.”

Larson did understand that he did his teammate wrong in some fashion. To this, he said, “I hope it will be fine, but we’ll see. I didn’t end his day today, but I did probably take a win from him.” While no significant drama was observed on-screen, certainly there must have been some movement off it. Arguably, Elliott’s love for the sport and Hendrick Motorsports must have worn him down.

The current relationship between the two teammates

Despite all the events that took place last season, it was Chase Elliott who finished fourth at the end of the 2022 campaign. Kyle Larson finished seventh as both the Hendrick Motorsports drivers enjoyed a top-10 finish. It was a difficult season in many ways but the duo has found a common ground more often than not.

Having said that, both the racers look to do well in the 2023 season. They have been seen as united when it comes to complaining about the Next Gen cars. Larson and Elliott both believe that there’s still a lot of work needed for these new cars to operate smoothly. They might not be the best teammates, but they certainly have a common agenda, which is to get the best for Hendrick Motorsports.

How did the NASCAR world react to the shocking event between Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson?

What happened at Watkins Glen International is not something that’s easily forgettable, certainly not in the current generation of social media. The event between Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson was a delight for the neutrals and their rivals.

Reactions from all around the world came in, with most of them supporting Elliott. Since he’s one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR, the outcome isn’t unexpected at all. To add, one of the Twitter users even compared the rivalry between the two on similar lines to how it was between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

Luckily for Hendrick Motorsports, both drivers have a good amount of maturity even at this age. Had one of them been significantly more senior and experienced, things could have turned bad easily.

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No bad blood between the Hendrick Motorsports drivers

The duo was recently back prepping for the race at Fontana where the first clash happened last season. Kyle Larson gave a candid interview regarding the events that took place last year between him and Elliott. He said, “I think Fontana was easier to get over for him because it was the first time something happened.” 

Larson adds, “I think Watkins Glen was tougher to get over because it happened a second time. But I think since then — I mean, it took weeks, I would say, to get moved on from it. But I feel like we’re in a good, an OK spot right now. You know, we both did an appearance together, you know, a few weeks ago in California, and we were playing on a golf simulator together. So I feel like like everything’s OK.”

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WATCH THIS STORY | Chase Elliott Reveals the Truth Behind Controversial Hendrick Motorsports Clause, Days After Kyle Larson’s Own Revelation

Going by Larson’s words, it sure looks like a positive sign for Hendrick Motorsports. But it does not end by passing such statements, both he and Elliott will have to be extremely cautious to avoid such a scenario again. And if things go fine, we can see multiple Hendrick Motorsports drivers enter the victory lane in the 2023 campaign.

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Written by:

Priyank Mithani

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Priyank Mithani is a NASCAR writer at Essentially Sports. Since completing his graduation, he has been pursuing a career in the Media & Entertainment industry. With a zeal to write creative and insightful content, he started his journey as a freelancer in 2018.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh