“There was a race etiquette”: Kevin Harvick joins Kyle Busch in criticizing fellow drivers following Sunday’s race at COTA

Kevin Harvick became the latest driver to join Kyle Busch's bandwagon in criticizing his fellow drivers for their rough driving style. Busch was the first driver to voice his opinion after Denny Hamlin intentionally bumped into Ross Chastain in Phoenix.

Harvick is the most experienced driver on the grid, having driven for more than two decades in the NASCAR Cup Series. The 47-year-old is one of the few who has raced wheel-to-wheel against legends of the past and the current generation of drivers.

Kevin Harvick feels that stock car racing has changed since his debut in NASCAR. He said:

"Well, the driver code is not what it used to be when I first started – when you would run into the back of somebody on a restart and lift their tires up off the ground, because the nose was only 8, 9, 10 inches off the ground."

Harvick also named several drivers who maintained the high standards in the past. He added:

"It was much different then because there was a race etiquette that Ken Schrader, Bobby Hamilton, Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin made sure that you understood."

The #4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver also mentioned the tricks used by veteran drivers to punish those who didn't follow the etiquette. He said:

"Usually, it came in ways of not being able to get your lap back when the caution came out. They would race you back to the yellow [flag] if you weren’t doing things appropriately on the racetrack."

NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

Harvick was in the thick of the action in the final laps of the race in COTA. The five restarts in the final 15 laps frustrated many drivers, including the #4 driver. The 68-lap race was extended to 75 laps, as triple overtime was added.

Most of the chaos occurred at turn one, where drivers bumped into the car ahead of them, instead of braking. This resulted in multi-car pile-ups and debris being spewed on the track. Harvick managed to survive multiple restarts, finishing 13th.

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Kevin Harvick blames grass root level racing for the abrasive tactics

Kevin Harvick believes these roughhouse tactics are present in the lower racing categories. Guiding his son Keelan through the karting ranks, he has witnessed drivers being molded in such a way.

The 47-year-old said:

"Today, I really see it at the go-kart tracks. The things you currently see on the racetrack are exactly how all of them are taught to race. They’re taught to block, they’re taught to race in the rain, they’re taught to run into you and they’re taught to gouge on the restarts, and that’s just the way it is."

Kyle Busch previously admitted that drivers had lost respect for fellow racers and that the NASCAR garage area didn't feel the same. Harvick also believes that the current era of racing has changed drastically from the past.