Kevin Harvick unloaded on the Sprint Cup team he is leaving after a wreck with team owner Richard Childress’ grandson, Ty Dillon, during Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series race. Harvick, who was driving for another team in the Kroger 200, and Dillon were racing for second when their trucks collided and knocked both from contention.
Harvick, who is leaving Richard Childress Racing after 13 seasons in Sprint Cup to join Stewart-Haas Racing, implied that nepotism and lineage were factors in his decision. Ty Dillon has raced in the Camping World Truck series the past two seasons and is moving into Nationwide next year to supplant his older brother, Austin, who is expected to move into Sprint Cup and effectively take over the ride being vacated by Harvick.
“(Dillon) just dumped me,” Harvick said about the crash. “Exactly the reason why I’m leaving RCR because you’ve got those kids coming up, and they’ve got no respect for what they do in this sport and they’ve had everything fed to them with a spoon.”
Dillon slammed Harvick several times during the ensuing yellow flag. Harvick’s truck also stopped near Dillon’s pit stall, where it was accosted by several members of Dillon’s crew, one of whom appeared to hurl an orange hammer at it. MRN.com reported that Childress encouraged Dillon to hit Harvick’s truck under yellow.
Childress told MRN.com and the Sporting News that Harvick would race Sunday at Martinsville in the #29 (“We’re still rolling.”) but also said he was “very disappointed” in Harvick. “That’s all I can say,” Childress said. “I’ve got too much class to say what I want to say right now. When I say it, I will say it to his face.”
