Kyle Larson
By Terrin Waack
NASCAR.com
Published:
2 Minute Read
Kyle Larson is well aware of the anger he sparked in Chase Elliott last weekend at Auto Club Speedway after his No. 5 Chevrolet fenced his teammate’s No. 9 car. Larson has seen FOX’s “Radioactive” video from the race coverage and heard the series of cuss words Elliott released in response. Larson confirmed as much Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as he called it “another good episode.”
Larson, who ultimately won at Auto Club while Elliott finished 26th, addressed the fallout in the days after the incident, including Hendrick Motorsports weekly competition meeting, which was virtual this week due to West Coast swing travel.
“Well, from my spot, it’s always going to be awkward,” Larson said. “But no, it was a good meeting to have. Rick (Hendrick, owner) called a meeting with all four teams and just kind of reiterated his expectations with us drivers. So, it’s good to get those reminders every now and then and continue to race good in the future with each other. I’ll catch up more with Chase here in a little bit, and we’ll be good.”
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Elliott was not made available to the media prior to any Cup Series on-track action at Las Vegas’ 1.5-mile track. Practice is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET (FS2) with qualifying to follow at 2:15 p.m. ET (FS1).
Both Larson and Elliott are champions within their shared organization. Larson won his title last year, Elliott claimed his the year before. They’re entering only their second season as teammates, though. Larson moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. Elliott has been there since his full-time gig began in 2016.
RELATED: What happened between Larson and Elliott at Auto Club
“As far as I can remember that’s the only meeting since I’ve been there that Rick’s been a part of in that sense,” Larson said. “He’s been to competition meetings and stuff like that. And we’ve had multiple meetings about different things. But as far as the racing and stuff, that’s the first one I can remember him getting involved in. I think we all know his expectations and after the incident last week, it was good for him to get involved again and tell us what the expectations are.”
Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube is set for 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX, MRN and SiriusXM). In 11 career starts at Las Vegas, Larson has one win (this race last year), four top fives and eight top 10s. Elliott owns three top-five and four top-10 finishes in 10 career desert starts.
DEBATE: Should Elliott be frustrated with Larson?