The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway proved to be a turbulent outing for Hendrick Motorsports. While William Byron celebrated his second win of the season and Alex Bowman secured a respectable seventh-place finish, the spotlight quickly shifted to the escalating tensions between teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. Their repeated on-track clashes drew sharp criticism from seasoned voices in the sport, with one outspoken veteran going so far as to declare Larson ‘guilty’ for his aggressive conduct. Though both drivers remain in playoff contention, such internal strife could spell trouble down the stretch.
During the race, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott just couldn’t stay out of each other’s way, and not in a good way. Whether it was on restarts or battling through corners, the two Hendrick teammates kept getting tangled up. By the end, Elliott managed to finish 14th, while Larson had a rough day and ended up 28th. Luckily, thanks to NASCAR’s Playoff format, both drivers still have a shot at the championship. But if they keep bumping heads like this, it could hurt their chances down the line.
“Zigged and Zagged”: A veteran unpacks Hendrick’s Iowa drama
Ryan “Skip” Flores, a veteran pit crew member and co-host of Stacking Pennies, didn’t mince words when discussing the Hendrick Motorsports drama. Flores, who’s spent years on championship-winning teams, knows the intensity of Cup-level racing inside and out.
Speaking with Corey LaJoie, on the podcast, he said: “Wouldn’t want to be in the Hendrick meeting today. The #9 and the #5 seem to have a magnet on each other. Hit each other on a couple of different restarts, but it never looked to me, malicious. It just looked like one zigged, one zagged. I heard Kyle had a pretty good rant on the radio, too. Was trying to calm down. Stayed mad for a minute. I don’t think that was Chase’s fault, it’s just zigging and zagging on the restart.”
Corey LaJoie observed that on one of the restarts, Kyle Larson’s No. 5 car moved down into Chase Elliott. However, Ryan pointed out that even though the gap was small, Larson had to take the chance. As the late Ayrton Senna famously said, “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” In that spirit, Ryan admitted he was glad to see Larson shedding the “nice guy” tag, if only temporarily.
Of course, there have been moments when Kyle Larson revealed a more aggressive side. He’s known to unsettle competitors and force them into tough spots on track. But during the Iowa Corn 350, tensions with teammate Chase Elliott boiled over. After multiple run-ins, the 2021 Cup Series champion erupted in a profanity-laced tirade over the team radio, venting his frustration: “How much f***ing room do I have to leave people? I’ve been trying to be a good teammate, a good competitor, and it hasn’t gotten me anywhere the last f***king hour.”
Corey LaJoie, never one to miss a punchline, joked that Larson was now getting a taste of life in the midfield. Drawing from his own career, LaJoie quipped that he was like the DC Comics villain Bane, “born in the dark”, a nod to his years spent battling midpack without a single Cup Series win.
Larson and Elliott look to rebound at The Glen with playoff stakes rising
Still, victory at The Glen isn’t out of reach, but it’s far from guaranteed. For Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, this race isn’t just about redemption after Iowa, it’s about momentum, playoff positioning, and pride. Larson enters Watkins Glen sitting third in the standings, 45 points behind teammate William Byron. He’s already racked up three wins this season, along with 14 top-10s and 11 top-five finishes, leading the series in both categories. But his road course form has been shaky, he’s finished 32nd or worse in three of the four road course events this year. That inconsistency makes Watkins Glen a crucial opportunity to reset the narrative.
Elliott, meanwhile, is second in the standings, just 18 points behind Byron. He’s been the model of consistency, with 12 top-10s, seven top-fives, and zero DNFs across 23 races. His average finish of 10.3 is the best in the field, and he’s completed nearly every lap this season. With only one win this season, Elliott might be in trouble if the points race gets tighter. Wins aren’t just for show, they help in playoff tiebreakers. Right now, he’s behind teammates who’ve got more.
Still, both he and Larson have had success at Watkins Glen. Larson went back-to-back there in 2021 and 2022, while Elliott grabbed wins in 2018 and 2019. They’ve both been strong on this track in the past, but this year, there’s a new road course threat in town. Shane van Gisbergen has taken the Cup Series by storm, winning three of the four road course races so far in 2025. Heading into The Glen, he’s the clear favorite.
With the regular-season championship on the line, and 15 bonus playoff points up for grabs, Watkins Glen could be a turning point. For Larson, a win would reinforce his title credentials and erase recent frustrations. For Elliott, it could be the statement victory he needs to hold off his teammates and lock in a crucial advantage heading into the playoffs.
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