Although rare in NASCAR, feuds between drivers and teammates are not uncommon. Bill Elliott vs. Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty vs. David Pearson, Rusty Wallace vs. Darrell Waltrip. These are just a few of the names that come to mind when talking about teammates with differing opinions. In Kevin Harvick’s case, his feud with Jeff Green at Richard Childress Racing led to him being fired from the team.
The two’s long-running feud dates back to their days in the Busch Series, and they had several altercations before they became teammates. You’d think that with them on the same side things would be different, but that’s not the case. As Jeff Green said in a conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr., what happened between the two was the final straw that led to Jeff Green’s departure.
Tempers flaring at Richmond Raceway
The stage was set. It was a typical night race at Richmond International Raceway, with cars crashing and hustle as usual. On lap 268, Ward Burton and Ryan Newman’s cars collided, forcing Green to move to the bottom of the track to avoid a seemingly avoidable accident.
Unbeknownst to Green, his teammate Kevin Harvick was already there, and the two made contact, causing Jeff Green’s No. 30 car to crash into the second-turn wall, ending the race. Jeff Green, however, is not blaming the incident for his withdrawal from Richard Childress Racing. When Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked what went wrong, the 61-year-old replied, “That’s basically what happened all year.” Harvick took over my team last year from 2002.
The crew chief was transferred and most of my guys went there because the No. 29 didn’t run as well as the No. 30. I felt like a stepchild. I don’t think the equipment changed. It was something that built up in me because sometimes the people around you make the changes. ” On the incident at Richmond International Raceway and its aftermath, Jeff Green said: “Harvick had me fighting for third place for three-quarters of the race, but I made a point to Todd Berrier, who was my crew chief from before, and it was filmed.
Steve Burns interviewed me, and I should have known better. I was more mature and understood how Richard handled things. I mean, I told him I felt like I was the second team to RCR, and I understand why that makes his team look bad. So he kicked me out and I went home. ”
In Jeff Green’s defense, it seems that there was some favoritism by Richard Childress in his treatment of his two drivers. First, Jeff Green felt like a lower priority driver when he handed Green’s crew chief and pit crew over to Kevin Harvick just because the No. 29 car didn’t run as well as the No. 30 car, and he uttered the following words to him: “I felt like a stepchild.” Moreover, both drivers were involved in the incident, with Jeff Green losing his seat while Kevin Harvick didn’t even get a slap on the wrist.
But that doesn’t mean Jeff Green was completely innocent. After the incident, a visibly upset Green was seen yelling at his teammate on the track. He then visited Harvick’s pit and exchanged some pleasantries with crew chief Todd Berrier. An interview with Steve Burns didn’t make things any better. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick finished sixth and refused to comment on the incident after the race. There was no need for that. Jeff Green was fired two days after the decision was made. This was not the first time a driver had a falling out with Richard Childress, and it won’t be the last.
Richard Childress called his driver ‘stupid’ after a collision with a teammate
Richard Childress can be outspoken when he needs to be, and that’s exactly what he was doing last year at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series when his two drivers, Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill, were battling for the win. As both drivers were running side-by-side on the backstretch on the final lap, contact occurred, sending Hill into the wall. This meant that Justin Allgaier won the race and Austin Hill finished 21st. After the race, a visibly annoyed Richard Childress said, “I’ve had drivers drive me before, and I’ve never had a dumb driver like Sheldon Creed.” “I don’t do that as a team player. What else do you want me to say?”
Meanwhile, Sheldon Creed’s teammate Austin Hill said, “What upset me more was not the push on the track, but him parking in the corner. I rear-ended him and broke my radiator, but he (Allgaier) made me win the race. How stupid can a person be?”
Although this incident was not the only reason, Sheldon Creed left Richard Childress Racing after the end of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season and joined Joe Gibbs Racing. Meanwhile, Austin Dillon still has a spot in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro and is simultaneously driving part-time for the team in the NASCAR Cup Series.
