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FORT WORTH, TEXAS – OCTOBER 28: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 Hooters Give a Hoot Chevrolet, enters his car to start the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
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FORT WORTH, TEXAS – OCTOBER 28: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 Hooters Give a Hoot Chevrolet, enters his car to start the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Rivalries are always a centerpiece in sporting action, engaging the viewers from time to time. One such potential modern-day rivalry developing in NASCAR seems to be between Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch.
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Winding it back to a few months ago in May 2020, the race at Darlington Raceway saw some eventful racing. It was not one of the best races for Elliott, however, who was rear-ended by Busch.
Heading into a tight space on the track, Busch misjudged the gap and wrecked Elliott. While the former Cup Series champ drove slowly under the caution flag, Elliott ensured he gave him a long one-fingered gesture that was not glorious to watch at all.
Memorable Moments of the 2020 NASCAR Season (according to @BobPockrass).
"No. 8: Wrecked by Kyle Busch at Darlington, Chase Elliott gave the Cup champ a 1-finger salute. 6 days later, Elliott claimed a 'bounty' after beating KB in Trucks & celebrated with Busch’s trademark bow." pic.twitter.com/2Q37oKsx5H
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) December 15, 2020
Kyle Busch spoke to Chase Elliott after the race
Eventually, the 2020 Toyota 500 was a case of lost opportunity for both drivers. Busch and Elliott are obviously top drivers. In hindsight, either might have gone on to win the race, if not for the incident.
Nevertheless, Busch went up to Elliott after the race and had a conversation which relatively cooled things between them. Naturally, the 25-year-old driver from Dawsonville was previously unhappy with Busch’s antics.
Busch had said at the time, “Yes, Chase and I talked and it went really well. He’s a class act, we’ve all seen that. The conversation overall was good.”
Elliott responded with a bounty win over Busch
Even though it was a case of water under the bridge for both drivers, Elliott had an opportunity to set the record straight on the track. It took a Truck Series race in Charlotte a week later, for the 2020 Cup champion to get back at Busch.
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WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 05: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GoBowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
Winning the $100,000 bounty on offer, Elliott showcased that the best sporting revenge he could have gotten was by defeating Busch on the track.
Following the conclusion of the race, Elliott even bowed to the cameras – a traditional Kyle Busch race celebration. Busch responded to it later in the press conference, calling the gesture ‘cute’.
While there was an ongoing war of words between the two, it would feel like a quality NASCAR rivalry might be in the offing here. Fans will eagerly await to watch both drivers take to the track once again, come the 2021 Daytona 500.
