Chase Elliott’s forgettable season got even worse for him in Kansas. Most experts believe that he intentionally tagged his teammate on the pit road toward the end of the second playoffs race. The teammate in question is Kyle Larson, someone who has had a few share of issues with Elliott in the past. The 27-year-old’s actions were not considered sportsmanlike and were slammed by most. However, with the conversations around the incident refusing to die down, some voices have emerged in support of the #5 Camaro driver. 

It was the final pit stop of the Kansas race. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson were side by side heading out of pit road when Brad Keselowski left his stall in front of Larson. This forced the #5 driver to slow down and he could not get out of the way of his teammate who was looking to get out on track fast to get himself into a good position. The two HMS aces made contact and Elliott was not happy about it at all.

Hendrick Motorsports legend applauds Chase Elliott’s fiery reaction

On a recent episode of the NASCAR on NBC podcast, former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief and NBC analyst Steve Letarte joined Nate Ryan, and they spoke at length about Elliott’s mentality after what happened on pit road and why he had as aggressive a reaction towards his own teammate.

Chase Elliott has not qualified for the playoffs this year; he has not even won a race. But this is an aberration for the 2020 Cup Series champion, and he is someone who will always go for the win regardless of the situation he’s in. As he has not been able to achieve that goal this year, the frustration is evident. 

When asked about it, Steve Letarte said that the issue between Elliott and Larson was put to bed, but he liked how Chase reacted. “I think it’s put to bed and I love to see it out of Chase….I’m never going to say he’s not there to win because I believe Chase straps in to try to win. But, when you are a winning driver and a champion and you get eliminated from the playoffs, it would be remiss, it would be a major lie to think it doesn’t change your approach. You don’t have the same whatever it is,” Letarte said.

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The 27-year-old has often maintained his calm demeanor even when things have gone awfully wrong, but this Sunday, that was not the case. But Steve Letarte does not consider that to be questionable. If anything, it just proved that despite having perhaps the worst season of his career, Chase Elliott has not lost his hunger and his fire to go out there and win races.

“What I saw out of Chase was a weekend where he was in a winning picture. And the fire was still there. Look, you know, he didn’t smash into the #5, he didn’t disrupt anybody’s day. He showed his displeasure which, if I’m a Chase fan, I feel good about the money I spent on that t-shirt,” the former HMS crew chief said.

After the race, Elliott was seen exchanging a few words with his teammate and he did not look best pleased. When asked about what he said to his teammate, the 27-year-old did not have the most satisfying answer.

Elliott makes a four-word revelation after the Kansas mishap

The former Cup Series champion was visibly disappointed and upset with what had transpired even after the race came to an end. Although Larson did not have anywhere he could have gone to in that moment, it seemed like Chase was having none of it.

When asked about the conversation he shared with Larson or what message he gave to his teammate, an unfazed Elliott simply answered, “There was no message.”

Larson, on the other hand, was understanding of Chase’s stance but defended his stance, stating that he did not have anywhere to go at that moment. “I understand why he’s mad, or was mad in the moment. I hope when he sees the replay, he understands I didn’t have the space or not much. It was just inches,” the Darlington fall-race winner said.

It’s common knowledge that Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson are not the best of friends. The two have had issues with one another in the past and Kansas was just another chapter in the two teammates’ rivalry. They’re both former champions and two of the best drivers in NASCAR today and the next time they race each other, there is no doubt that it will be a feisty affair.

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