Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick‘s feud has likely come to an end following a phone conversation between members of both teams and NASCAR officials on Oct. 13.
AP’s Jenna Fryer initially reported on the call, the existence of which was confirmed by Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson in an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Oct. 14.
“The message that NASCAR delivered is they tried to do the best job they could do in allowing it to happen, and they’re over it,” Gustafson said. “Whatever way you want to look at it from there. I commend them for allowing us to race, but they’ve had enough. They made that clear.”
ICYMI: After meeting with @NASCAR, Alan Gustafson explains the message given to both teams, and tells @DanielleTrotta and @CoreyLaJoie his focus is on the #di9 moving forward #NASCARPlayoffs
@TeamHendrick | @TeamChevy | @Hendrick9Team | #SXMOnTrack pic.twitter.com/E3IBkmUhHI— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) October 14, 2021
Earlier in the day, Harvick’s car owner Tony Stewart revealed his feelings on the feud as well.
“I feel bad for both of those guys. I’ve been in that same role those two are in now,” Stewart said during the unveiling of his new NHRA team. “I think NASCAR is at the point where it’s not fun for them to have to deal with this anymore either, so the sooner they can get it all squashed, the more we can get back to business and get racing again.”
The rivalry between two Cup Series champions began at Bristol Motor Speedway during the annual night race in September when the two ruffled each others’ feathers on track that likely cost each other the win.
The feud became more heated at last week’s event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL when the two tangled again.
The race resulted with Harvick being eliminated from the playoffs with Elliott advancing into the Round of 8.
Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loud column, co-host of the Frontstretch Happy Hour podcast, and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army.
Follow Dalton on Twitter @PitLaneCPT