Auto Club 400: Whose fault was the wreck between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson?

A chance at a pretty rare feat ended when Kevin Harvick smashed into the wall at Auto Club Speedway, but whose fault was the wreck that ended his chance at four wins in a row?

It’s not uncommon to see wrecks involving two top drivers at Daytona or Talladega. It’s a lot less common when something like that takes place at a track as wide as Fontana, and when it’s two drivers like Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson dueling for position inside the top five like on Sunday during the Auto Club 400, it’s positively shocking.

Both men had plenty of motivation to show their stuff this week. Harvick, of course, was attempting to record his fourth consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory, something no one has accomplished since 2007. Larson won the Auto Club 400 last year and was seeking his first victory of 2018.

Despite those facts, it was a surprise to see them going at it quite as hard as they did during Stage 1. With Larson on the inside, not a place he generally prefers to be at a track like California. Harvick got a little loose, and then both cars went toward each other at the same time.

With Harvick closer to the wall, he took the worst of it by far.

The commentators in the Fox Sports booth wondered aloud if it was a little intentional contact on Harvick’s part because he was irritated that Larson got him loose. But if you watch the slow-motion instant replay, it sure looks like Larson goes up harder than Harvick comes down.

Asked about it after the race, Harvick was surprisingly level-headed about the incident.

“I went down to side draft and he was coming up, and we touched and it just knocked the thing to the right,” Harvick said to Fox Sports reporters after he climbed out of his damaged Ford. “I don’t know that that’s his fault, I think that it’s my fault for coming down the racetrack there and trying to side draft.”

Next: Highlights and updates from the Auto Club 400 at California

Larson also talked about side drafting and also mentioned how he thought the 4 was the fastest car even though he barely had a chance to prove it. Harvick’s comments may calm down his angry fans a bit, but the debate about this particular run-in could last all the way until Martinsville.