NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Harvick, Hamlin Tangle On, Off Track
The emotions surrounding the Chase boiled over Saturday at Dover when Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick tangled on and off the track...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted September 25, 2010   Dover, DE
Denny Hamlin (Left) and Kevin Harvick (Right) exchange words at Dover in September. (Photo: Getty Images)
The emotions surrounding the Chase for the Sprint Cup boiled over Saturday afternoon at Dover International Speedway as series point leader Denny Hamlin and “regular season” leader Kevin Harvick tangled on and off the track.

Early in a 45-minute practice session, as their cars were building speed on the track, Harvick bumped into the rear of Hamlin’s car, and Hamlin responded with a tap of his own.

Later, in the garage, they exchanged words, and they didn’t appear to be sharing recipes.

David Reutimann led the practice session with a speed of 152.957 mph, but the focus was on Hamlin and Harvick.

On Friday, Hamlin was particularly critical of the Richard Childress Racing team and its No. 33 car, driven by Clint Bowyer. Bowyer was fined 150 points – and dropped from second in the point standings to 12th – after his car was found to be illegal after last week’s race at Loudon, N.H.

Childress, the team owner, and Bowyer said the car was outside NASCAR’s allowed measurements because of post-race contact with a speedway wrecker.

Hamlin scoffed at that excuse, saying NASCAR had been warning the Childress team for months about its cars.

Harvick perhaps decided to defend his team’s honor in Saturday’s practice. The contact caused damage to the right rear of Hamlin’s car.

Harvick wound up 26th in the practice session, and Hamlin was 29th.

Cup final practice is scheduled at 1:50 pm ET.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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