NASCAR Q&A: With Chase looming, did Harvick panic?

Did Kevin Harvick hear footsteps?

Harvick suggested his wreck Sunday was just a case of over-aggression, nothing to do with Chase Elliott approaching over his left shoulder. Darn shame, too, because things were probably going to get interesting once Chase got right on his bumper or alongside. You tend to think their feud will go on the back burner for the next four weeks, since things seem to have evened out.

Chase’s team owner, Rick Hendrick, suggested NASCAR should intercede to make sure it’s over, but that’s probably not good for business overall. Meanwhile, Chase’s “merry offseason and happy Christmas” to Harvick was an instant classic and will be a big takeaway from the 2021 season.

OFF TO L.A.:Daytona loses Busch Clash as NASCAR moves exhibition race to L.A. Coliseum in 2022

Why was it a fitting weekend to honor Gary Nelson at Charlotte?

You saw Chase’s dangling bumper, right? Two days earlier, Nelson, the former champion crew chief and longtime NASCAR rules guy, received the annual Smokey Yunick Award for his lifetime of garage work. Nelson was Bobby Allison’s crew chief when Bobby won the 1982 Daytona 500 with a car that lost its rear bumper after “contact” on the fourth lap. That made Bobby’s car faster and gave it better gas mileage, and Bobby literally won by a mile over Cale Yarborough, who was among the fellow competitors crying foul. Chase also ran pretty well without his rear sheetmetal.