Kevin Harvick, apparently eager to defend the honor of his teammate Clint Bowyer and team owner Richard Childress, initiated contact with Denny Hamlin during practice on Saturday afternoon at Dover International Speedway, leading to a confrontation between the Chase rivals.
Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick Have Confrontation In Dover Practice
Hamlin had made inflammatory comments on Friday that cast a negative light on Bowyer’s argument that the No. 33 team was penalized unfairly by NASCAR.
Harvick, rolling out for practice just behind Hamlin, used his bumper on Hamlin’s No. 11 car once on the track, and the two exchanged more bumps before continuing their skirmish in the garage.
Hamlin climbed from his car and confronted Harvick, who answered the Joe Gibbs Racing driver in a barrage of gestures and angry words. Their respective crew chiefs and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series director John Darby got in the middle to separate them (their garage stalls are right next to one another).
Speed TV’s Wendy Venturini reported Richard Childress Racing competition director Mike Dillon as telling Bowyer on the team radio, “Your teammate was standing up for you.”
Both Harvick and Hamlin declined comment, though a Hamlin representative said there’s a chance the driver may speak after the final practice today.
Childress said he didn’t see what happened but had an amused look on his face as he spoke to reporters, saying he’s learned that “you don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house.”
“You can’t win a pissing contest with a skunk,” Childress said of Hamlin. “We’re here to win races. That’s all we’re here for.”
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