“This Could Tear Hendrick Motorsports Apart”—What Happened Between Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott After Iowa Stunned Garage

No one expected it. Not on that Sunday. Not between those two.

After the checkered flag flew in Iowa, a strange, uncomfortable silence followed inside the Hendrick Motorsports garage. Cameras caught the moment—a stiff glance between Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, two of NASCAR’s biggest names and Hendrick’s shining stars. What wasn’t captured on camera was what happened just moments later behind closed doors.

According to team insiders, what transpired between the two champions has left the organization shaken—and potentially divided.

“This could tear Hendrick apart,” one veteran crew chief reportedly whispered as tensions escalated. And now, everyone is asking the same question:

What really happened between Larson and Elliott in Iowa?

The Incident: When Teammates Became Rivals

It began during Stage 2 of the Iowa Corn 350, where both drivers were contending for the lead. Elliott, hungry for a win to cement his playoff position, made a daring move on the inside, forcing Larson high and into the wall. Though Larson managed to hold on, his No. 5 Chevrolet suffered damage that would plague him for the remainder of the race.

On the surface, it looked like classic hard racing. But behind the scenes, tempers flared.

Larson reportedly fumed on the radio, saying, “If that was anyone else, I’d send them to the garage.”

Elliott, on the other hand, brushed off the incident post-race, telling reporters, “It was aggressive, but fair. We’re all racing for the same goal.”

The problem? Larson didn’t agree. And he made that clear when the two confronted each other away from cameras. Witnesses describe a tense, profanity-laced exchange that had to be broken up by team officials.

According to one source, Elliott reportedly told Larson, “If you can’t take the heat, don’t race up front.” That comment, while offhand, is said to have deeply angered Larson—someone who prides himself on his raw, fearless racing ethic.

The exchange, short but explosive, wasn’t just about bruised egos. It represented something much bigger: a fundamental crack in Hendrick’s chemistry.

This isn’t the first time the two have had friction. Back in 2023 at Martinsville, Elliott criticized Larson’s blocking tactics, while Larson questioned Elliott’s pit strategy calls in 2024 at Sonoma. But those moments were shrugged off, contained within race-week chatter. What happened in Iowa? It felt different. Permanent.

A Fractured Camp: Inside the Hendrick Fallout

While both drivers have downplayed the incident in public, sources close to the team say the rift is real—and it’s growing.

One senior Hendrick engineer stated anonymously, “There’s always been an unspoken competition between them, but now it feels like open war.”

The concern isn’t just the personal fallout. It’s the ripple effect.

Sponsors have expressed unease over the tension. Pit crews are reportedly being restructured to minimize overlap. Meetings that once involved all four Hendrick drivers are now happening in smaller, isolated groups.

Even Rick Hendrick himself is said to be “deeply concerned” about the stability of his superteam. With the playoffs approaching, internal unity is critical. And right now, unity is the one thing Hendrick Motorsports doesn’t have.

One internal email obtained by a source close to the situation revealed the team’s concern with “deteriorating cohesion at the driver level” and emphasized the need for leadership to step in to “re-center the competitive culture.”

Further complicating matters, crew members loyal to each driver are reportedly starting to take sides. That’s a dangerous development in any motorsports organization—especially one as high-profile and historically dominant as Hendrick.

Some reports even suggest that future debriefs may be split entirely—with Elliott and Larson holding separate sessions with engineers, spotters, and strategists. If that’s true, Hendrick Motorsports would be operating with an internal wall between its top drivers. In racing, that’s not just awkward. That’s catastrophic.

And yet, the divide seems to grow by the day. Elliott reportedly skipped a post-Iowa team dinner that had been planned in advance. Larson, for his part, canceled a planned media segment featuring both drivers. The optics? Worse than bad. They’re undeniable.

Could One of Them Walk Away?

It sounds unthinkable, but multiple insiders have confirmed that there are whispers—unconfirmed but persistent—about the possibility of one driver leaving Hendrick if the situation continues to deteriorate.

Larson, with his dirt racing empire and independent spirit, has always walked to his own beat. He has options. He has offers. And, according to two team insiders, he has already received inquiries from other top-tier teams gauging interest for 2026.

Elliott, NASCAR’s most popular driver four years running, carries immense fan weight and sponsor appeal. He is the face of modern NASCAR for many—and with his roots deep in the sport’s legacy, walking away from Hendrick would be seismic.

Neither is easily replaced.

Which is why this feud, if left unresolved, could shake the very foundations of the Hendrick dynasty.

Hendrick Motorsports has weathered rivalries before. But never one with stakes this high—and drivers this high-profile. Larson and Elliott were meant to be the unstoppable force. Now they’re pulling in opposite directions.

Even other drivers in the paddock are starting to comment—anonymously, of course. One veteran driver told a journalist this week, “They don’t like each other. They never have. The respect was manufactured. The tension’s been building since Larson joined the team.”

If that’s true, the façade may have finally cracked.

What Happens Next Could Redefine Hendrick Motorsports

For now, all we have are rumors, uneasy silences, and two championship-caliber drivers who suddenly can’t seem to see eye to eye.

Whatever happened in that hauler after Iowa wasn’t just about one race. It wasn’t just about one corner or one block.

It was about legacy. Ego. Power.

And unless it’s addressed—head-on and soon—it could be the beginning of the end for Hendrick’s golden era.

In the days since Iowa, neither driver has issued a full statement. Team officials continue to dodge questions. Fans are split. Some blame Elliott for his move. Others call Larson too sensitive. But what they all agree on is this:

Something broke in Iowa.

Whether it can be fixed is the question that could define the rest of Hendrick Motorsports’ season—or reshape its entire future.

Stay tuned. Because this story is far from over.

And the next move—whether from Elliott, Larson, or Rick Hendrick himself—could change everything.