Kyle Larson Brushes off Chase Elliott Feud Heading Into Watkins Glen After Heated Iowa Clash

Conflict between teammates is never good. But Team Hendrick drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have apparently buried the hatchet after last week’s issues at Iowa that included Elliott hitting Larson three times at different points in the race.

Larson, who is normally known for keeping his cool, erupted over the team radio following the third time his car made contact with Elliott’s car.

“F**k every single motherf***ing a**hole. God damn it! 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,” he ranted.

Larson ultimately suffered a disappointing 28th-place finish, while Elliott finished 14^th. During media availability Saturday at Watkins Glen International, Larson was asked if the so-called “feud” with Elliott is still ongoing or if it’s over.

“Everybody’s making a big deal about Chase. I really wasn’t that mad at Chase,” Larson said, according to Frontstretch.com. “And after seeing the replays and stuff, I was less frustrated. I moved on from things quickly. I don’t believe there was a need for a conversation… I’m all good and moved on from that race quite a bit since then. Honestly, I’ve forgotten about it.

“It’s just racing. After watching the replays and stuff, it wasn’t what I thought it was from the seat. And two, I was less frustrated with him than I was [with] others. Everything compiled and I was trying to keep my cool.”

Hamlin, Letarte have different insights into Elliott-Larson issue

Immediately after the Iowa race, Denny Hamlin lit into both Larson and Elliott, imploring NASCAR officials to step in and potentially issue penalties.

He said, “What I’m calling on is NASCAR officiating to do something about it, ’cause it’s a complete disregard for the people that you’re laying back from because you’re just willing to stick them in a four-wide situation where you know they’re going to wreck or someone’s going to wreck and you just don’t care.

“They laid back so much, they must have been running 10 miles an hour faster, probably more than that. Then the cars in front of them, when they all took off and then they both tried to shoot the gap at the same time in the middle. It’s like they both deserved to wreck.”

TV analyst and former Team Hendrick crew chief Steve Letarte said on the Inside the Race podcast following the Iowa race that there really was no concern for lingering animosity between Larson and Elliott.

“Well, this is why Jeff Gordon is the perfect co-chairman of the organization, because he has seen it nearly get torn apart when him and Jimmie Johnson were disagreeing and when they run into each other in Texas, somebody’s upset, there’s chirping on the radio,” Letarte said.

Will Rick Hendrick need to have another ‘milk and cookies’ talk?

So even though there will be close and tight racing Sunday at The Glen, with the possibility, some may even say likelihood, of contact and flaring tempers, it would appear any lingering dispute between Elliott and Larson is over and done with.

Let’s not forget the situation nearly 20 years ago when Gordon and Johnson had a run-in and weren’t on speaking terms with each other. Team owner Rick Hendrick had to have his famous “milk and cookies” talk with the pair and things calmed down quickly and they returned to being close friends and not bitter rivals.