Editor’s note: This story initially ran Sept. 21.

There are plenty of layers to peel back with Kevin Harvick’s “Happy” nickname. His other handle, “The Closer,” is straightforward, given his tendency to finish strong. Other proposed monikers — “The Cactus King” and “El Toro” — were thankfully short-lived whims.

“Happy” has had a longer run, but the alliterative nickname’s origin story is blurred — a label from his short-tracking days early in his career perhaps, or a nod to the bright, smiley-face pit sign he’s had for the bulk of his NASCAR Cup Series tenure. Harvick’s personal website offers this explanation: “Along the way, he gained a reputation for being aggressive on the track, but off the track his affable attitude and ever-present smile earned him the nickname ‘Happy.’ ”

RELATED: Elliott, Harvick square off | Video: No. 4’s in-car feed

The other interpretation leans hard on sarcasm, much in the way that former driver DeWayne Louis Lund — a giant who tipped in at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds — always went by “Tiny.”

Harvick’s list of not-happy-at-all-with-you moments added another chapter Saturday night in a late-race and post-race clash at Bristol Motor Speedway with defending Cup Series champ Chase Elliott, who was on the other end of a steely scowl instead of the aforementioned ever-present smile. The longtime driver of Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 Ford selected the most fitting entrance song for Bristol’s special style of driver introductions. The vibe from “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty carried through all 500 laps — indicative both of his desire to win in a season where victories have been hard to come by, and his unyielding stance in the post-race skirmish.

Whether their at-times heated discussion set the rules of engagement for the two title contenders the rest of the way, seven races remain on the 2021 schedule to tell that tale. But what Saturday night did, in effect, was re-establish Harvick’s reputation as a driver not to be crossed.

The archive of Harvick vs. fill-in-the-blank is the stuff that’s launched YouTube compilations. Versus Greg Biffle, by the scruff of his driver’s suit at Bristol in 2002. Versus Ricky Rudd at Richmond in 2003, telling one of the grittiest cusses to ever wheel a stock car, “If he’s gonna take a cheap shot, he’s gonna get one back, I promise you that.” Versus Juan Pablo Montoya with on-track shoves after a Turn 1 shunt at Watkins Glen in 2007. Versus Joey Logano (Pocono 2010), vs. Kyle Busch (Darlington 2011), vs. Ty Dillon (Martinsville 2013), vs. Jimmie Johnson (Chicagoland 2015). That’s skipping a few, even, but you get the idea.

Having a list of rivals as long as your arm isn’t necessarily a negative. As Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press pointed out in an astute series of tweets in the Saturday night aftermath, Harvick has largely come out ahead (or at least broken even) in those confrontations. Each one has reinforced the same notion, that maybe it’s best not to test out the snake to see if it’s venomous.

For the bulk of his career, Harvick has run neck and neck with the rambunctious Tony Stewart as the Cup Series’ most prolific needler and winner of head games. Since Stewart — now Harvick’s car owner — retired from the driving side of his NASCAR career in 2016, the cheese now stands alone.

Elliott moved from the on-deck circle into Harvick’s batter’s box at Bristol, capping off a weekend of short-track sparks in an electric playoff atmosphere. Still in the early stages of his career, Elliott has his own short but prominent versus list, having matched wits with Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch as recent Cup Series foes.

Saturday night, Elliott suggested he had reached a tipping point after an on-track scrape near the end left him fighting a flat tire, knocking him from victory contention. After their pit-road face-off, he said Harvick’s veteran status meant little: “I don’t care who he is or how long he’s been doing it. I’m going to stand up for myself and my team and we’ll go on down the road.”

Shades of Tom Petty’s anthem all over again, and the balance of the season provides a looming test for which driver will truly be happy in the end.

History suggests there’s no way Harvick buckles. Elliott has taken his own defiant stand. Seven races left to watch it play out.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kevin Harvick shadowed Chase Elliott down pit road after Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway, his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford practically kissing the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet as they parked. Both exited their cars immediately, ready for some type of confrontation after their on-track drama.

Not even bothering with his helmet, Harvick marched over. Heated words were exchanged, but there was no physical contact until Elliott tipped up Harvick’s helmet with the hand he’d already been using to point in Harvick’s face. That’s when the shoving began, and the two had to be separated by officials.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

Only then did Elliott leave the scene, escorted by a police officer. Harvick stayed to fulfill his media responsibilities, and the two later reconnected in the garage and ultimately in Elliott’s hauler to continue the discussion.

“It’s just chicken-(expletive),” Harvick said. “What else can I say? Throw a temper tantrum like you’re 2 years old because you got passed for the lead and got a flat tire. We barely even rubbed. It’s all Chase’s way or it’s no way. And if he doesn’t get his way, he throws a fit.”

Elliott held the lead with 36 laps remaining in the 500-lap event. Heading into Turn 3, Harvick used the lapped car of Josh Bilicki to hold up Elliott on the top line near the wall. Harvick and Elliott dipped low on the track, only to slide back up. It was then Harvick’s No. 4 Ford hit the left side of Elliott’s No. 9 Chevy and took the front spot.

The contact ended up cutting Elliott’s left-front tire, forcing him to pit.

“That’s the thing that sucks,” No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson told NASCAR.com. “Trying to win one of these races and he certainly took us out of contention.”

Elliott finished with a 25th-place result, three laps down despite leading 129 laps on the night. Harvick led the next 32 laps from there (among the 71 he led on this night) before Kyle Larson passed him with four circuits remaining to win. Harvick went down as the runner-up – still winless in 2021.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: What Kevin Harvick had to say | Chase Elliott: ‘I don’t care who he is’

When Elliott returned to the track after his unplanned but necessary pit stop, he showed his displeasure toward Harvick on Lap 473, bumping him despite being in completely different places in the running order.

“Whether he did it on purpose, it doesn’t matter,” Elliott said on NBCSN. “At some point, you got to draw the line. I don’t care who he is or how long he’s been doing it; I will stand up for myself and my team.”

Said Gustafson on Elliott: “He’s a super nice guy, but he’s got his point. When he breaks, he obviously breaks.”

Neither driver was in a must-win situation when it came to the playoffs. Harvick clinched his spot in the Round of 12 after the Stage 2 break on Lap 250 by virtue of points. Elliott locked in his berth when Anthony Alfredo retired midway through the final stage.

That did not matter.

“You race to win,” Gustafson said. “That’s what you’re supposed to do.”

ALTERNATE ANGLE: See a different look of the pit road confrontation

The NASCAR Cup Series’ next race is Sept. 26 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The two drivers openly later continued their conversation in the garage and then brought it into the No. 9 hauler for further privacy. What was said inside is currently unknown – unlike on pit road.

“I told him I wanted to rip his freaking head off,” Harvick said.