Clashes between Hendrick Motorsports teammates are a rarity, but last week’s heated exchanges at Iowa Speedway between Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson stirred questions about their chemistry and the balance within the powerhouse team. While neither driver publicly addressed the on-track tension, veteran crew chief and analyst Steve Letarte brushed it off as part of the natural rhythm of hard racing and nothing Rick Hendrick should lose sleep over.
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So far, that seems true. Elliott and Larson insisted that there are no hard feelings after three separate run-ins during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa.
Larson had started third after a strong qualifying run and finished a caution-free Stage 1 in sixth. However, trouble began on a Lap 186 restart in Stage 2 when Elliott clipped Larson’s left-front entering Turn 1 in a three-wide battle, with Larson up high and Chase Briscoe pinned inside. The contact sent Larson sliding, though he saved it with some sharp car control.
Larson initially stayed quiet but soon reported that the car’s handling had suffered. Twenty-three laps later, the Hendrick duo went door-to-door again on a restart, leaning on each other while fighting for a narrow patch of the middle lane. The final flashpoint came when contact from Christopher Bell pushed Larson up the track, barely missing the wall. That incident was enough to ignite Larson’s temper.
“How much f***ing room do I have to leave people? … I’ve been quiet for 45 minutes… I’ve been trying to be a good teammate, [and] a good competitor, and it hasn’t gotten me anywhere for the last f***ing hour,” Larson fumed over the radio.
Elliott, unaware of Larson’s remarks at the time, later admitted Larson had been put in difficult situations, but the No. 9 driver didn’t believe it warranted a sit-down.
Ahead of Watkins Glen, Elliott told reporters, “I didn’t know there was any issue, honestly. I just feel like we were going for the same gap at the same time. I didn’t think any of that was intentional, either way. So yeah, I haven’t felt the need [to talk]. If we need to talk, we will, I’m sure. But we haven’t had any issues.”
Elliott finished 14th at Iowa, extending his streak to 23 straight top-20 finishes to start the 2025 season. Larson, hampered by the day’s run-ins and misfortune, finished 28th.
Watkins Glen could bring another chapter to their rivalry, with Iowa winner and points leader William Byron possibly joining the fray. All three are in the hunt for the Regular Season Championship, which awards 15 playoff points to the leader after Daytona in two weeks.
And the trio’s record for five of the last six wins at the Glen, dating back to Elliott’s first career win in 2018, could spark more fireworks. If the HMS drivers race each other aggressively again, fans may witness more Hendrick-versus-Hendrick competition.
