We have often heard that NASCAR is a completely different sport compared to other big sporting leagues and series. And again, calling it different would be an understatement. The sight of race cars putting on a show across the ovals rip-roaring at speeds of 200 mph isn’t the only form of entertainment for NASCAR fans. It’s also the theatrics and the controversies that erupt on race day, which make for quite a spectacle.

Richard Childress is one of the few owners who didn’t mind getting his hands dirty in getting his point across. His driver Kyle Busch would know about this as he got punched by him back in 2011 and incurred a fine of $150,000. However, this bullish attitude also seeped into his teams and the driver line-up. However, the veteran team owner does not have any regrets about stirring up controversies.

Kevin Harvick was influenced by the actions of his team owner

After dominating the racetracks with Dale Earnhardt Sr., RCR brought Kevin Harvick as his replacement to lead the charge for the #3 team. While he might have lacked the speed on the racetrack, he was a loose canon in trying to get even with his rivals. The first instance that comes to mind is his iconic jump at Bristol in the garage area, trying to trade blows with Greg Biffle. This was from the year 2002, his second season with the team.

There’s also his infamous standoff against Ricky Rudd at Bristol in 2003. Well, these are the only few instances where Harvick controversially confronted his opponents. And all along he had the complete backing of his team owner, Richard Childress, who has now confessed to enjoying every moment of it. While also highlighting how NASCAR has changed drastically in the modern era in policing these incidents.

Harvick, who reunited with his former team owner, asked if he enjoyed being involved in controversies. To which Richard Childress boldly replied, “I’ve lived off of that.” He said this while speaking of Episode 62 of the Happy Hour podcast. Moreover, Kevin Harvick went on to highlight how he cannot do the same in the modern era of NASCAR racing. And how a small infringement could lead to hefty fines.

“But I love that kind of you know; it just made it more fun back. Today, if you look at somebody wrong, you’ll get fined almost so. We had a lot of good times, man,” Childress added. Not to forget, it was his driver Kyle Busch who was on the receiving end of the stick after the end of the All-Star race. Rowdy was punched in the face by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. after being crashed out of the race by the RCR star.

Not just that, the RCR team has found itself on the wrong side of the judgment calls, which has only added to their misery this year.

NASCAR put a $1 million dent in RCR’s pocket with Austin Dillon’s penalty

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The two RCR teams #3 and #8 have been against the odds ever since the start of the 2024 season. Rather than competing for wins, the two drivers, Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch, have found themselves crashing out of the race. Dillon has 3 DNFs, while Rowdy has 5 DNFs. All they needed was one moment or a race to overturn their misfortunes, and it partially did when Austin Dillon grabbed the win at the fall race at Richmond Raceway.

However, the way Dillon raced to win became a big controversial topic. He rammed Joey Logano into the wall and then intentionally banged Denny Hamlin on the last lap scuffle to secure his victory. NASCAR intervened, and while they allowed the driver to keep the win, his playoff qualification was termed invalid.

Dillon’s grandfather and team owner were appalled by the judgment made by NASCAR. Their appeal to overturn the decision also didn’t end in their favor. “It’s over a million dollars to us. The largest fine ever in NASCAR. I’m just disappointed, disappointed, disappointed. That’s all I can say.” Childress said this after the ruling. Technically, NASCAR didn’t impose a fine of one million dollars on the team. But the potential loss of financial gains the team missed out on for not being allowed to compete in the playoffs.

The team is now rallying behind their star driver Kyle Busch to help him reach a personal milestone of 20th year of consecutive race wins in NASCAR.