Kyle Larson on Elliott-Harvick drama: 'I'll have his back like he had mine'

So, who would win in a fight: Chase Elliott or Kevin Harvick?

It was the only logical question to ask Kyle Larson, who dialed up The News-Journal earlier this week to catch up ahead of Sunday's Round of 12 opener at Las Vegas. 

OK, we didn't ask the current Cup Series points-leader who would win in a fight (well, we did, but he laughed it off and moved on).

However, Larson did talk about last week's Bristol win, what he thought of the Elliott-Harvick drama, how he views these next three races, and plenty more. 

And, lucky for you, the transcript is right here!

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ZD: OK, let's talk about it ... did you know Chase was gonna hold Harvick up when he got around him last week?

KL: So, I didn't really see them make contact. And then Chase goes flat, and I didn't really think anything of it. Then he comes off pit road, and I saw him, and he was obviously upset with Kevin and was making things tough on him. I knew it still wasn't gonna be easy, but I just hit my marks those last 8-10 laps, got to within fighting distance of him and made some things happen to get by.

ZD: So, what are those debrief sessions like with Chase after the race? Does he give you a fist-bump? Do you not even talk about it?

KL: There wasn't much to talk about. He's a great teammate, and I think if I'm ever in the same position as him, we don't even have to communicate about it. He'll know that I'll have his back like he had mine. It's a great vibe at our organization.

ZD: OK, now to the Round of 12. With Talladega and the Charlotte Roval coming up, does the race Sunday at Vegas become even more important?

KL: Yeah, I think so. For sure. I'd love to go there and win, but if not I'd still like to have a good race where I can gain points on the cut-line so you have a little less stress going to Talladega. I feel pretty good about our road-course stuff going to the Roval, but I agree ... I think the second round of tracks is the sketchiest for sure.

ZD: You're on the top of the mountain looking down at everyone. Anybody make you nervous?

KL: I really think Denny Hamlin has shown to be the strongest ... other than me. I think Truex, too. My teammates have all been really strong. I think Joe Gibbs and Hendrick have been the best all year. Penske's gotten a little better, Ryan Blaney's been fast. But it's so hard. It changes week to week. It's hard to predict anything in the playoffs.

ZD: The Vegas race back in March was your first win of the season. Now, you have six. Did you think you could get here?

KL: I don't know. We've been close to winning even more races than we have. I guess I'd like to have those ones that have slipped away. It's been a solid year, and it's just been a lot of fun to show up to the track every week knowing you're going to have a shot to win.

ZD: You're one round into the playoffs, but has it felt any different? You're not exactly near the cut-line. 

KL: Yeah, I think this round is when things start to ramp up and you fizzle some people out. As each round goes on, you know you can't make mistakes. It's nice to have those bonus points, but I still want to be perfect every time we race just to not make things hard on ourselves.