NASCAR vows action on Harvick/Rudd clash

The dispute started when Rudd bumped Harvick into the wall near the end of the race. Harvick pulled up to Rudd's car in the pits after the race and bumped it. After a verbal confrontation Harvick climbed onto the roof of Rudd's car, where he was joined by two of his Richard Childress Racing pit crew, caving the roof in. More RCR crew entered the fray, with some of Rudd's Wood Brothers Racing mechanics becoming involved before NASCAR officials broke up the incident.

"We're not going to condone this kind of pit road behaviour," said NASCAR vice-president of communications Jim Hunter. "What happens on the racetrack stays on the racetrack, and it's our responsibility to deal with that.

"I can assure you we're not going to condone the kind of bench-clearing mentality that occurred. We'll definitely have more to say about this. I think I can also say there's a very strong possibility of penalties."

Harvick said: "I was hot and wanted to let Ricky know that. Things got a little heated with the two teams, so we all went for a little chat in the NASCAR trailer. Everything's cool now, I guess. I'm just still hot."

Rudd insisted that he didn't deliberately hit Harvick. "We went down into Turn 1, and he put the brakes on way early, and I got in the back of him," said Rudd. "It wasn't on purpose, it was an accident. This stuff, it's absolutely ridiculous to have to put up with this kind of crap."

Rudd reckoned that it wouldn't have been much of a fight. "You've got me and the Wood Brothers, and I put just about everybody in the team in the senior-citizen category. They've got a bunch of 20-year-old bodybuilders. It wouldn't have been pretty, I can say that."