Just a week after the Ryan Newman-Juan Pablo Montoya feud began at Richmond, two more of NASCAR's heavyweights began a feud of their own under the lights at Darlington. And despite a penalties for both, a meeting with NASCAR and a week's time passed, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are still going at it.
"For me, the way I was brought up and taught to race, if you hook somebody in the right rear quarter panel, that's the equivalent of throwing your gloves off in hockey... and basically the only answer I get out of Kyle is 'I'm a racecar driver, not a fighter'" Kevin Harvick told the media on Friday at the Dover International Speedway. "But if you drive like that, your'e going to have to learn how to take car of yourself."
Harvick and Busch were both put on probation for four races beginning at Dover, as well as fined $25,000 each by NASCAR. When the pair arrived in Dover on Thursday both met with NASCAR Vice President of Competition Mike Helton and President Mike Helton, before addressing the media on Friday.
Harvick said Busch told "one lie after another" regarding their ontrack incident, where on lap 365 Busch turned Harvick into the wall, also taking out his Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer. Busch went on to finish 11th, while Harvick finished 17th and Bowyer 31st.
No stranger to controversy- he was suspended in 2002- Harvick talked openly about his feud with Rowdy and even broke the news of his penalty on Twitter. You can read some of Happy's tweets here, here, and here.
Busch said a month ago before racing at the Nashville SuperSpeedway that "(The bad guy) is an easy role to play. It's a lot easier to get people mad at you than it is to make 'em like you. Time for a change, time for something else. I've been here too long" seemed to be singing to a different tune on Friday.
The 25 year old Las Vegas native called Harvick "two faced" after explaining that his No. 18 M&Ms Toyota had a flat left rear tire, and said that he acted as to not spin himself out. "Believe that for what it's worth," he added.
So while their four race probation, which includes the upcoming Spring All-Star Race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, will keep Rowdy and Happy away from each other on the track, it seems certain their war of words will continue on.
Thanks to NASCAR.com, Racing Reference, Scene Daily, SB Nation, ESPN and NASCAR on FOX for the information and quotes used in this piece.
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