Harvick/Rudd incident highlights wild night

[Elwood]

Harvick/Rudd incident highlights wild night

 

 

Sunday, September 07, 2003

 

 

A post-race skirmish between Ricky Rudd and Kevin Harvick Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway resulted in a tongue-lashing from the sanctioning body for both teams' entire pit crews, and will likely bring penalties in the coming week.

 

 

Rudd got into Harvick entering Turn 1 with eight laps remaining in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, sending Harvick, who was well on his way to a fourth-consecutive top-five, into the outside wall.

 

 

Harvick was furious and made his frustration known by driving his car onto pit road and rubbing it against Rudd's, which was stopped on pit road.

 

 

The drivers then spent several minutes yelling at each other.

 

 

Rudd, busy unbuckling his seatbelts, said several No. 29 crewmen began charging towards him. Rudd said the crewmen then began "walking up and down my car like it is a dadgum runway or something. Bouncing up and down on the roof, up and down on the hood."

 

 

Harvick exited his car, standing atop the window frame, and yelled at Rudd. At some point, according to Rudd, Harvick threw his HANS device at him.

 

 

As the situation escalated, No. 29 jackman Mike Scearce, jumped on top of Rudd's hood, denting it.

 

 

"This is kind of a one-of-a-kind (car) that they just put together, and we didn't have a scratch on it until the end of the race," Rudd said. "It shouldn't have involved crew members basically attacking our car."

 

 

After several minutes NASCAR officials diffused the situation, and each and every member of both teams was summoned to the NASCAR trailer for a meeting with president Mike Helton and Winston Cup director John Darby.

 

 

Harvick emerged approximately an hour later, but neither he nor owner Richard Childress would offer comment on the situation.

 

 

Harvick's team did release a written statement.

 

 

"I can't help but be angry," Harvick said. "We are running for the championship this year and I thought we had another second (place finish) locked up. We got spun out by (Rudd) going into Turn 1 and he took us out. That was pure adrenaline out there on pit road. I was hot and I wanted Ricky to know that."

 

 

"(Kevin) Went down in turn one and he put the brakes on way early. I don't know why," Rudd said. "He must have had a problem, and when he put on the brakes, I got in the back of him."

 

 

NASCAR certainly took notice of the aftermath.

 

 

"We're not going to condone this kind of pit road behavior," said vice president for corporate communications Jim Hunter. "What happens on the racetrack is going to stay on the racetrack and we'll deal with that as best we can. It's our responsibility to deal with that.

 

 

"I can assure you, we were not going to condone the kind of bench-clearing mentality that occurred after the race tonight. We'll definitely have more to say about this on Monday. And I think I can also say there's a strong possibility for penalties."

 

 

Rudd did address the media following the event, and said he understood Harvick's frustration, but that it should have stayed between the two drivers.

 

 

"Kevin, he should be mad. I would be mad if I was him," Rudd said. "But what happened after the race, that was totally uncalled for. I haven't seen anything like it in 28 years of racing."

 

 

 

 

Sounds to me like Rudd is crying alot and exaggerating. I saw it on TV like most of you, and I saw Harvick's team come over and try to refrain him. I saw ONE guy stomp down Rudd's car as they were leaving not what Rudd said (Rudd said the crewmen then began "walking up and down my car like it is a dadgum runway or something. Bouncing up and down on the roof, up and down on the hood."). And as for the HANS device, yeah I saw him throw it as he walked away and it land on top of Rudd's car, but I didn't see Rudd out of the car yet. Now I might be mistaken on that part, but I'm pretty sure Rudd was still in the car, which means he threw it, but he didn't throw it at Rudd.

[mjsmith1223]

I saw it too. Kevin's crew came over to restrain him from going after Ricky. Once they got ahold of Kevin, they left. Certainly looked like they did their best to stay off of Ricky's car as much as they could. Ricky didn't get out until Kevin was gone. Think we'll see some revenge at New Hampshire?

 

Mike

Grand Haven, MI

[hogger999]

Rudd should really make sure there aren't any cameras around before he goes and makes a story up like that.

 

I'm glad to see Harvick express himself. I'm getting kind of tired of all the sugar coated "sponser tools" as drivers.

 

As for what took place on the track, I think the 29 may have gotten a little loose and maybe he DID brake early. But with Rudds "28 years of racing" he should have been able to avoid him. especialy with nobody else around. Rudd may have a dented hood, but Harvick has a destroyed race car.

[SilveradoWV]

I am pretty sure what Kevin threw was after the whole thing was over and he was walking away. It landed on Rudds roof and that was 2 seconds before they interviewed Harvick I think. Anyway I though it was all over when the thing got thrown, maybe not, but either way it didnt have any effect on the situation IMO!