RELATED: Harvick shoves Johnson post-race
Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson made contact on a Lap 135 restart, leaving Harvick's No. 4 with a smoking tire and eventually resulting in Harvick spinning and smacking the wall. He drove his battered No. 4 Chevrolet to the garage for repairs, falling to 42nd place in the process.
The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion faces a steep climb over the next two races in the Challenger Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as he looks to defend his championship.
The incident was sparked by the No. 22 of Joey Logano, who shoved Johnson on the restart, leading to contact between the two Chevrolets.
Rodney Childers, crew chief for the No. 4 team, said on the radio: "(Johnson) was off of him, and turned back into him -- right in front of him, on purpose."
Harvick returned to the race on Lap 196 in his repaired No. 4 Chevrolet, pointing his finger at Jimmie Johnson's pit crew as he drove down pit road. He was scored 57 laps down at the time.
After the race, Harvick told NBCSN of the contact with Johnson, "I got a fairly good restart … saw those guys coming on the apron, got together and had a good run up. Stood my ground and he just slammed into the side of the door like I wasn’t even there"
For his part, Johnson said, "I wouldn't say that what he did was any different than other situations I've been in like that. When you are in his position, you want to get the inside car in a bad angle so they have to lift. I was fine with lifting, but I had to get back on the race track, so I worked my way back up on the track."
Things got even more heated as Johnson went to the driver's lot to discuss the incident with Harvick and the defending series champion shoved the six-time champion and had to be restrained.