Harvick says Kyle lied about Darlington incident; Kyle calls Harvick two-faced
The feud between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch intensified Friday at Dover with Harvick saying Busch lied about why he wrecked him last week at Darlington and Busch saying Harvick is two-faced.
Both drivers spoke to the media Friday morning at Dover. The press sessions came a day after their second meeting with NASCAR officials since the Darlington incident, which led to both being fined $25,000 and placed on probation until June 15.
While these two drivers have had a strained relationship, problems intensified in the final laps at Darlington when they got together.
Heres how Harvick described what happened:
There was a lot that led up to that lap, Harvick said of when he was hit by Busch and wrecked. Kyle got into my door. I ran him down on the backstraightaway. I got into him in (turn) 3 and then we all got three-wide and (Thursday) Kyles explanation was he had a flat tire and hooked me on the straightaway, so its kind of one lie after another.
The way I was brought up and taught to race when you hook somebody in the right rear quarter panel thats the equivalent of throwing your gloves off in hockey. Thats the point where everybody has reached the boiling point and, basically, the only answer I get out of Kyle is, Im a race car driver not a fighter. If you drive like that, youre going to have to learn how to take care of yourself.
Said Busch when told of Harvicks hockey reference: Apparently, hes watching too much hockey.
Busch was asked to give his side of the Darlington incident and his version was different from what Harvick said.
Busch described things this way:
I did have a left rear tire flat and I wasnt sure if I turned too hard to the right to stay off of him or get away from him that the car would actually spin out the wrong way, my car would. Believe that for what its worth. I think theres some in-car cameras you can see, and I did have to come to pit road during that caution period to change left-side tires because they were flat.
I dont feel like Im lying about anything because theres ... what is it 85 video cameras around the race track that will pretty much
back up what youre saying. Im not lying about anything.
The only thing I will say, I guess, is that Im sorry I came off of turn 2 on the flat trying to give Kevin room and maybe I slid a little too far and got into him first, maybe thats what initiated everything, so I apologize about that. It wasnt my intention to get into him and then have everything go down the way it went down. I was just trying to race the final five laps as hard as I could and as clean as I could to get the best finish we could.
Harvick described more of what happened from his point of view:
The incident happened off of turn 2. We came off of turn 2, I was driving straight behind the car in front of me. We could talk about being 3 feet off the wall or whatever, but I was directly behind the car in front of me coming off the corner and at the time I didnt know it was (Kyle). Car hit me in the door. As soon as it hit me in the door, I drove it to the left. We got to the other end, I let it go and ran into the back of him, knocked him up the race track and took the position back and at that moment we got three wide and there really wasnt a lot of room and things happened and then he hooked me on the straightaway.
The wrecking doesnt bother me. The only thing that bothers me is the right rear quarter panel because in my mind I know what that means. I dont mind getting wrecked back if you think its a payback from Homestead, thats fine. Those parts dont bother me. I understand how it all works but you throw them off, its time to handle it.
As for the issue of not fighting Harvick on pit road after their cars were stopped there after the race, this is what Busch had to say:
I think its my sponsors best interest and my team owners best interest that were not fighters and that were respectful competitors and that were out here to do our job on the race track and race as best as we can and as hard as we can and as clean as we can. Sometimes as clean as you can, you might rub fenders with somebody or something like that. When it becomes from getting disrespected as bad as you have from one particular guy, at some point you finally say youve had enough. I feel like I did stick up for myself on the race track.
So, can these guys ever get along?
Asked about getting along with Busch, what would be the ideal scenario, Harvick said: That probably wont ever happen.
Busch was asked about getting along with Harvick and said: Im not really sure we ever did. I think he tried and thats why at Homestead I talked about the two faces of Kevin Harvick that I still believe is out there. Hell talk to you to your face like your best friends but then behind closed doors
he has the utmost disrespectful thoughts. I dont care. Im going on my own business.
Busch was later asked what he doesnt like about Harvick: Ive never gotten along with the guy. I dont know that he ever really got along with my brother either. I think theres something beyond from his past growing up and racing with Kurt that I dont know and I was just kind of thrown in that I was never really liked.
Now, remember these two had an incident in the Cup season finale at Homestead where Harvick wrecked Busch. Harvick claimed afterward that Busch had raced him like a clown. After having enough of that, Harvick wrecked him.
Busch brought up the Homestead incident when he talked Friday.
I dont know that it really means much difference when somebody spins you out from behind on the straightaway at Homestead going 170 mph into the inside wall and (you) end up in a ball of flames that thats any different than spinning somebody out on the frontstretch at Darlington at 170 mph. I dont see any difference there. I think it was just two ways of going at it.
Also, both disagreed on what they think probation means and what it can allow them to do or not to do after meeting with NASCAR on Thursday about it.
Harvick said NASCAR needs to be clearer on what is allowed and not allowed for a driver to do while on probation.
I think for me its definitely to the point where (boys have at it) is a little bit confusing with how it all works, Harvick said. When you look at the boys have at it themes, its obviously changing as we go through the process. When you go back at look at the very first major incident that you saw on the race track I guess would be Carl (Edwards) and (Brad) Keselowski (at Atlanta in spring 2010) and you saw the car go upside down. Carl was parked for hooking him in the right rear quarter panel and then it happened again. You see a lot of people come out of the pits retaliating and sometimes its a one-lap penalty and sometimes youre parked for the race.
Theres a lot of different things happening. I understand its evolving, but from a drivers standpoint, you dont really 100 percent understand how it works.
They stressed a lot to me that the penalties were for pit road violations after the race and the jeopardy it put everybody in after the race and I understand that part. (Thursdays meeting) was all about being on probation and on the race track. Just a little bit confused on that. Nobody really had any clarification as to what we were supposed to do and not supposed to do other than were on probation.
Busch, though, said he understands what probation means and that NASCAR was quite clear in the meeting with both drivers on Thursday.
I understand it perfectly, actually, Busch said. Its quote-unquote boys have at it that happens out on the race track. It seems like they allow us to police ourselves pretty simply out there. When matters get taken into the drivers hands or anything else on pit road, which innocent bystanders can be injured or something, NASCAR is going to step in
and set penalties the way they feel need to be levied. To me, its not a gray area. Its pretty simple, its black and white.
Busch later was asked more about probation and if he and Harvick can race the same way:
I think the focus of probation is between the two of us, Busch said. If I was out there on the race track, say racing for fourth or fifth place or something like that, and I got loose and I got into Jimmie Johnson, or somebody like that, and I spun them out and wrecked them that has no consequences to the probation.
If Im out there racing hard and trying to pass Kevin, for instance, and I feel like hes blocking me and I spin him out and I wreck him, theres going to be consequences to that. Thats how I see it.
