Kevin Harvick understands Austin Dillon’s ire over their run-in a week ago that sent Dillon crashing into Texas Motor Speedway’s Turn 4 wall. And Harvick even acknowledges that his previous actions played a role in escalating Dillon’s frustration.
Kevin Harvick understands why Austin Dillon is mad
Harvick tried contacting Dillon this week to resolve their issues, but Dillon did not respond.
Sarah Crabill/Getty Images
But just as he did in the immediate aftermath of the incident, in which Harvick rear-ended Dillon in Sunday’s race at Texas, Harvick stressed on Friday he didn’t intentionally crash Dillon and turn him into the wall. Harvick even attempted to contact Dillon to explain his side of things, which was met with silence.
“It’s pretty self-explanatory when you watch the in-car [video] as to what happened,” Harvick said after qualifying for this Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway. “There was nothing intentional there.
“[Dillon] is mad, and he should be mad. They are just starting to perform like they need to perform, and he wants to win, and he is a competitor, and I can’t blame him for that. So yeah, I reached out to him, and he didn’t reach back. So it is what it is.”
After the crash that likely cost Dillon a top-10 finish, Dillon said Harvick was upset because “the silver spoon kid was outrunning him.” He was referring to Harvick saying in 2013 he was leaving Richard Childress’s team because Childress favored grandsons Austin and Ty Dillon over the betterment of the overall organization. Harvick had announced he would leave Richard Childress Racing at the end of the season to join Stewart-Haas Racing, terminating a long and often acrimonious relationship with RCR.
Austin Dillon hinted at Texas that he might seek retribution this weekend — a race Harvick needs a strong finish in if he hopes to advance to the championship round of NASCAR’s playoffs. When Dillon was asked on Friday if Harvick should be concerned with payback, he wouldn’t say.
“I don’t really have no comment,” Dillon said. “I’m here to race and win this race.”
Harvick didn’t appear bothered by any potential reprisal from Dillon.
“He can handle things however he wants to handle them,” Harvick said. “Obviously he is a little bit bitter about the things that I said, and that is probably a little bit my fault for never speaking to him about the situation.”
See More:
