Tensions boiled over between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott during the Iowa Corn 350. Elliott, while jostling for position, clipped Larson not once, but thrice in the race, prompting an explicit tirade from Kyle on the team radio.
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After a grueling five-race stretch with just one top-10 finish, Larson appeared to have righted the ship as the season approaches its business end. He scored P4 at Dover two weeks ago and finished runner-up to Bubba Wallace in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.
Starting third on Sunday after a strong qualifying run, Larson ended a caution-free opening stage in sixth. That’s when the 0.875-mile oval surrounded by Iowa’s cornfields turned into a minefield.
On a Stage 2 restart, Elliott made heavy contact with Larson’s left-front tire while going three-wide, with Larson up high and Chase Briscoe pinned to the inside. The hit sent the No. 5 Chevrolet skating sideways.
However, Larson managed to control the car well and avoided disaster. Though he kept quiet initially, he radioed that the car’s handling was off.
Just 20 laps later, the drama reignited. On the very next restart, the Hendrick teammates leaned on each other again, fighting for the same patch of asphalt in the middle lane.
Finally, the third flashpoint came in the closing stage with 99 laps remaining. Battling Christopher Bell for sixth, the No. 20 Toyota snapped loose and clipped Larson’s left side, sending the HMS car perilously close to the wall. That was Larson’s breaking point.
Over the radio, the 33-year-old unleashed his frustration: “F**k every single motherf***ing a**hole. God damn it! How much f****** 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.”
Kyle Larson isn’t happy during this caution.
“How much f****** room do I have to leave people? …. I’ve been trying to be a good teammate, a good competitor and it hasn’t gotten me anywhere for the last hour.”
Larson got moved out of the groove during that stint.#NASCAR
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) August 3, 2025
Surviving the multiple blows, Larson limped home in 28th, far below where his day began. Elliott fared better, finishing 14th. Neither could touch William Byron, who dominated to complete the rare Iowa trifecta with wins in the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series.
Next, all three drivers will face off at Watkins Glen. It would be interesting to know Elliott’s side of the story about what happened at Iowa between the two teammates.
