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Last Sunday's WISE Power 400 was not without controversy and speculation for Hendrick Motorsports team-mates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.
The two drivers came together on lap 179 of 200 when Larson unknowingly blocked Elliott. This resulted in the latter hitting his team-mate first and the wall after that.
A lap after the incident happened, Elliott seemingly spun on his own, bringing out the caution flag. This led to speculation about the 26-year-old driver's intentions.
People raised questions as to whether Elliott spun to hamper his team-mate's race. Hendrick Motorsports' general manager, Jeff Andrews, addressed the situation in a post-race press conference and said:
“I don’t believe he was taking out any frustration, he came on there (car radio) pretty quickly after the contact with the wall, and it was a very similar issue that had happened to them early in the day with the bent toe link, and that puts a bunch of toe out in that right rear tire and rear assembly and that makes it very difficult to drive.”
Watch the interview below:
Elliott ultimately retired from the race due to a broken toe-link on the right rear of his car, while his team-mate Larson went on to win the race.
Kyle Larson will try to get on 'same page' as Chase Elliott
2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson might have won his first race of the 2022 season at Fontana. It could, however, have caused friction between him and his team-mate Chase Elliott.
Both Hendrick Motorsports drivers made contact in the race, which caused Elliott to retire prematurely. Larson later tried to make amends and said:
“It happened, and I hate that it did. I know they’re upset. But we’ll talk, and hopefully, we’ll get on the same page. I would never run into my teammate or block him that aggressively and that late on purpose.”
Watch the incident unfold in the video below:
The Hendrick Motorsports team hopes to put the incident behind them as they prepare for the Penzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is scheduled for next weekend.
