“Felt Like I Was the Stepchild”- NASCAR Veteran Unmasks Kevin Harvick’s Hand Behind Bitter Richard Childress Fallout

While uncommon, driver feuds in NASCAR aren’t unheard of. Think of Bill Elliott vs. Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty vs. David Pearson, and Rusty Wallace vs. Darrell Waltrip. One notable example is Kevin Harvick’s feud with Jeff Green at Richard Childress Racing, which ultimately led to Green coming off worse – being shown the exit door.

Their feud dates back to the Busch Series days, with several run-ins before they even became teammates. You’d think being on the same team would change things, but it didn’t. As Green recounted to Dale Earnhardt Jr, the final straw came during a night race at Richmond International Raceway.

Tempers flared at Richmond Raceway

The stage was set, a typical night race at Richmond International Raceway, with the usual hustle and bustle of cars bumping into each other. On Lap 268, Ward Burton and Ryan Newman’s car got together, forcing Green to go into the bottom of the track to avoid what looked like an inevitable wreck. What Green didn’t know was that his teammate Kevin Harvick was already there, resulting in contact between the two, which sent Jeff Green’s #30 into the Turn 2 wall, ending his race.

However, Jeff Green doesn’t solely blame the incident for his departure from RCR the following Monday. On an episode of Dale Jr Download, when Junior asked what went wrong, the 61-year-old replied, “The whole year happened basically. Harvick took my team from the past year (2002). Crew chief went on, most of my guys went over there ’cause the #29 wasn’t running as good as the #30.” However, his year started on a good note – one of the highlights of his career.

He won the pole for the Daytona 500. But his race ended with an accident. After that, the best he could manage before being fired on May 5 was a P7 in Texas. In that same period – from Daytona to Richmond – Kevin Harvick secured 4 Top 10s, one of which was a 2nd-place finish in Talladega. Seeing as Harvick was clearly doing better, Jeff Green told Junior, “I just felt like I was the stepchild. I don’t think my equipment was any different. The people surrounding is what makes the difference sometimes so it was just stuff building up in me.”

Kevin Harvick probably knows that better than anyone. In light of SHR announcing its foreclosure at the end of 2024, Harvick opined how the crew he worked with from 2014 until his retirement held the team together. “I think the people around the #4 car over the last 10 years are really what held that company together. Rodney Childers and that group of people, I think. Once that backbone of that went away, it started poking some holes.” But coming back to his feud with Jeff Green.

Speaking about the incident at Richmond International Raceway and its consequences, Jeff Green said, “Harvick wrecked me for third three-quarters of the way through the race, and I run my mouth to Todd Berrier – the crew chief – before, and it was on camera – Steve Byrnes interviewed me, and I should have known better.” The collision only escalated tensions between the teammates. Green’s frustration was evident as he stalked to Harvick’s pit stall to confront his crew but was intercepted by Richard Childress.

In an interview following his departure, Green divulged, “‘I’m trying to be the best teammate I can be, and some other people don’t be.’ That’s what I told [Richard].” This interaction, his harsh words with Todd Berrier, and his heated interview with Steve Byrnes didn’t help his case. Reflecting on the series of events, Jeff Green told Dale Jr, “I was more grown-up than that, and I understand Richard’s dealings with it. I told him that I felt like I was the second team at RCR and I understand why that made his team look bad. So he got rid of me, and I went home.”

In Jeff Green’s defense, there did seem to be an element of favoritism from Childress in how his drivers were treated. For one, giving away his crew to Harvick simply because the #29 car didn’t run as well as the #30 car made Green feel like a lower-priority driver. Moreover, the incident involved both drivers, yet it was Jeff Green who lost his seat, while Harvick didn’t even receive a slap on the wrist.

The following Monday, when Green was fired, Richard Childress said, “Our relationship was not where we had hoped it would be at this point, so we decided to make this move now. Jeff is a very good race car driver, but sometimes change can be good for everyone involved.” In contrast to Green’s wreck in Richmond, Kevin Harvick finished sixth and declined to comment on the incident. The decision was clear: two days later, Jeff Green was fired. And this wasn’t the first time a driver clashed with Richard Childress, and it may not be the last.

Richard Childress called his driver “stupid” after a collision with a teammate

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Richard Childress can be blunt when he has to. And that’s exactly what he was at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last year when his two drivers, Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill, were battling it out for a win. Both drivers were racing side-by-side on the backstretch in the final lap when they made contact, forcing Hill into the wall. This meant that Justin Allgaier won the race while Hill finished 21st.

After the race, a visibly frustrated Richard Childress said, “I’ve had drivers drive for me before, but nobody as stupid as Sheldon Creed. You don’t do that as a team player. What else do you want me to tell you?” Meanwhile, Creed’s teammate Hill said, “The thing I’m more mad about is not really the shove up the racetrack, but when he parked it in the corner. I ran into the back of him and blew the radiator, and then he lets [Allgaier] win the race. How dumb can you be?”

While the incident wasn’t the sole reason, Sheldon Creed left Richard Childress Racing at the end of the Xfinity Series season to join Joe Gibbs Racing. Meanwhile, Austin Hill still has a seat in his #21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing while driving part-time for the team in the NASCAR Cup Series as well.

The controversies at Richard Childress Racing highlight NASCAR team dynamics’ intense and volatile nature. Internal conflicts can have significant repercussions, from the Harvick-Green feud to the Creed-Hill clash. As a result, Richard Childress’ blunt management style and decisions have deeply impacted his drivers’ careers. What are your thoughts?