NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Talladega

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Oct 21, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (41) pulls in to the garages during the practice for the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Loser: SHR Teammates

The race was over and Joey Logano was on his way to Victory Lane, but the drama didn’t stop.

On the cool-down lap, Kurt Busch got into the side of teammate Kevin Harvick, sparking controversy. Once the cars got back to pit road, Harvick found the No. 41 car, leaned inside and appeared to hit Busch while he was in the process of regrouping after the race.

Tempers flare on pit road following late contact between Harvick, Kurt Busch.

➡️ https://t.co/TdsFsvHKFT pic.twitter.com/u7fkFtuhTz
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 23, 2016

The two drivers were asked about the incident after the race and Holly Cain of NASCAR.com, had us covered with their quotes. First up, Harvick had this to say on what happened:

"“He [Busch] cleaned the side of our car out after the checkered flag,” Harvick said afterward. “I don’t understand that.”"

Busch went on to call the incident a “misunderstanding” and made it clear that they would work things out.

It was certainly concerning to see the two drivers get into a situation like this, but it was more concerning for Harvick, who was involved in his third straight off-track incident since the Chase began, with his two previous ones coming at Texas in 2014 and Chicago in 2015.

While I understand Harvick’s frustration, he definitely should not have acted the way he had. The incident occurred after the race was over and both teammates were in the Round of 8. He should’ve taken care of business in private, not after the race when it was easier to make a scene.

We already know Harvick has had some problems with SHR this season, and this development doesn’t help his case.

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