NASCAR Insiders Do Not Envy Hendrick Motorsports Amid Chase Elliott-Kyle Larson Iowa Drama

Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 turned into a race where the usually composed Kyle Larson saw his anger set off. He finished the race 28th after he battled Christopher Bell in turn 4 of lap 251 before the fellow dirt race driver doored him. That hit sent him perilously close to the wall and made him frustratingly question, “How much f—— room do I have to leave people?” But it was, in fact, his HMS teammate Chase Elliot, who started the itch.

On a Lap 186 restart, Elliott entered Turn 1 three-wide middle and made heavy contact with Kyle Larson’s left-front tire, pushing No. 5 on the outside, up the track. With Chase Briscoe squeezed inside, the hit sent the No. 5 Chevrolet skating sideways. Larson, however, managed to control the car well and avoid disaster. 

The drama reignited just 20 laps in. On the very next restart, the Hendrick teammates leaned on each other again, fighting for the same patch of asphalt in the middle lane. Larson still moved past the whole drama, claiming, “I didn’t think any of that was intentional, either way. So yeah, I haven’t felt the need [to talk].” Sharing the same verdict, Ryan “Skip” Flores also shared his take on the 14th finisher and the whole drama.

Speaking with Corey LaJoie, on the podcast, the veteran pit crew member and co-host of Stacking Pennies said: “Wouldn’t want to be in the Hendrick meeting today. The #9 and the #5 seem to have a magnet on each other yesterday. Hit each other on a couple of different restarts, but it never looked, to me, malicious. It just looked like one zigged, one zagged. I heard Kyle had a pretty good rant on the radio, too. Was trying to calm down. Stayed mad for a minute. It’s just zigging and zagging on the restart. (…) Oh! That’s a small gap! You got to fill it though.

“I’m just happy Kyle’s done taking everybody’s crap. He’s been too nice for too long. And I’m like ‘We talking about the same Kyle? The one that puts everybody in a bad spot?’ (…) Don’t know what he said, heard a lot of beeps… Look he’s back with the common folk back there.”

Corey LaJoie observed that on one of the restarts, Kyle Larson’s No. 5 car moved down into Chase Elliott. However, Ryan pointed out that even though the gap was small, Larson had to take the chance. Corey LaJoie, never one to miss a punchline, joked that Larson was now getting a taste of his life in the midfield. Drawing from his own career, LaJoie quipped that he was like the DC Comics’ Batman villain Bane, “born in the dark,” a nod to his years spent battling midpack without a single Cup Series win.

Of course, there have been moments when Kyle Larson revealed a more aggressive side. He’s known to unsettle competitors and force them into tough spots on track. In fact, he has done it to Elliot, too. In 2022, the two were locked into a fierce battle on a restart with five laps to go. Then, Larson locked his tires entering the 90-degree Turn 1 and ran Elliott wide. It ultimately forced him to lift and settle for fourth as the No. 5 team scored its second consecutive WGI victory.

But during the Iowa Corn 350, tensions with teammate Chase Elliott boiled over. After multiple run-ins, the 2021 Cup Series champion erupted in a profanity-laced tirade over the team radio, venting his frustration: “How much f***ing room do I have to leave people? I’ve been trying to be a good teammate, a good competitor, and it hasn’t gotten me anywhere the last f***king hour.”

On the flip side, Elliot was more focused on the upcoming crucial turn in the schedule. “Generally speaking, I feel like the communication and things that go on behind closed doors are all very open and honest, and good relationships around the campus. I don’t think there’s really any need for us to change our procedures or how we go about things throughout the week. We just handle things indoors and internally and feel like that’s the best way to go about it and we’ll keep doing it.” And that, for now, is certainly the aim for the HMS drivers.

Larson and Elliott look to rebound at The Glen with playoff stakes rising

Victory at The Glen isn’t out of reach, but it’s far from guaranteed. For Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, this race isn’t just about redemption after Iowa; it’s about momentum, playoff positioning, and pride. Larson enters Watkins Glen sitting third in the standings, 45 points behind teammate William Byron.

He’s already racked up three wins this season, along with 14 top-10s and 11 top-five finishes, leading the series in both categories. But his road course form has been shaky. He’s finished 32nd or worse in three of the four road course events this year. That inconsistency makes Watkins Glen a crucial opportunity to reset the narrative.

Elliott, meanwhile, is second in the standings, just 18 points behind Byron. He’s been the model of consistency, with 12 top-10s, seven top-fives, and zero DNFs across 23 races. His average finish of 10.3 is the best in the field, and he’s completed nearly every lap this season. Still, with only one win this season, Elliott might be in trouble if the points race gets tighter and a tiebreaker is forced. Right now, he’s behind teammates who’ve got more wins.

Still, both he and Larson have had success at Watkins Glen. Larson went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, while Elliott grabbed wins in 2018 and 2019. They’ve both been strong on this track in the past. But this year, there’s a new road course threat in town. Shane van Gisbergen has taken the Cup Series by storm, winning three of the four road course races so far in 2025. Heading into The Glen, he’s the clear favorite.

With the regular-season championship on the line, and 15 bonus playoff points up for grabs, Watkins Glen could be a turning point. For Larson, a win would reinforce his title credentials and erase recent frustrations. For Elliott, it could be the statement victory he needs to hold off his teammates and lock in a crucial advantage heading into the playoffs.