In a year when NASCAR's biggest rivalries have been between teammates, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin suddenly found themselves in the spotlight after an on-track incident in the Sprint All-Star Race left Busch livid.
During the final segment, a 10-lap shootout, Hamlin was leading the race with Busch closing in from behind. Hamlin moved up the track as Busch attempted to begin a pass on the outside and Busch ended up in the wall when he lost the air on the front of his car.
Busch was furious, and according to Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press, said on the team radio: "Somebody better keep me away from Denny Hamlin after this race. I am going to kill that mother f*cker. ... I had this race won. Won."
He drove back to the garage where he parked his car outside Hamlin's hauler – not his own – and stormed into the truck's lounge area to wait for his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. Team owner Gibbs followed closely behind.
When Hamlin finished the race – he ended up fourth, with Busch 14th – he joined Busch and Gibbs inside the 11 hauler, where the three discussed the situation for approximately 20 minutes and reviewed the incident.
"They talked it over and I think both of them expressed what they felt about what happened on the racetrack," Gibbs said. "I feel good about it and I think they're ready to go race as teammates.
"This can happen and it can happen again. You've got good cars. You've got good drivers. It can happen between teammates because they're competitive and both of them are wanting to win a race. We love that in both guys."
Busch avoided a group of reporters and ignored questions from the individuals who approached him. Hamlin, though, stood outside the hauler and answered every question that was asked of him.
The main issue, Hamlin said, was he felt he could use the entire racetrack in his position as the race leader. Hamlin had started to lose the handling on his car and had a bad corner when Busch had a good run at the same time, which allowed the 18 car to close quickly.
But since Busch didn't have the outside lane yet, Hamlin wasn't eager to suddenly pull over.
"I told him my job as the leader is to do everything I can to win that race," Hamlin said. "And this race in specific is a much different race than what a points race is – and I think he understands that now from my standpoint.
"I felt like if Kyle would have had position on the outside, then I definitely should have given him the lane. But I basically just took the air off. And like he said up there (in the hauler), he was just dumb and didn’t check up. It’s just one of those things."
And what about Busch's radio comments threatening to kill Hamlin?
"Well, I mean, that's Kyle in the moment," Hamlin said, unfazed. "He's said worse things about me, I'm sure, at other times."
Gibbs said the drivers watched the replay and had a "good discussion" about what happened.
"I think what was real good was both of them wanted to talk it out," Gibbs said. "We talked it out. ... I think we're ready to go race the 600 and race as teammates."
Said Hamlin of the chat between teammates: "Kyle is fiery at the beginning and calmed right down at the end. I think that's just his personality. ... It was the old Kyle for a little while. Then the new Kyle came and met with us."
The most important thing to Hamlin was to not let the disagreement affect the positive chemistry between the Nos. 11 and 18 teams, which have worked well together and have turned into two of the best teams in the sport.
"I understand how important it is for team morale," Hamlin said. "When two teams skirmish with each other or the two drivers don't like talking to each other, all you do is go backward. There's no doubt about it.
"Right now, I feel like he has a championship-winning team and I have a championship-winning team. Our wheels are moving right now; we don't need to put the brakes on. Especially an incident in a race that doesn't matter anyway."