"I'm not going to get punched in the head": When Kyle Busch sped away from frustrated Kevin Harvick's wrath

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch's tales go way back in time, and one of them includes Harvick trying to punch Busch in the head. The incident happened during the 2011 Southern 500 held at the Darlington Speedway and made then-Richard Childress Racing driver Harvick angry over a last-minute maneuver.

During the final laps of the Southern 500 race Cup Series drivers, Harvick and Busch repeatedly made contact. This intense situation led to the former Joe Gibbs driver pushing Harvick into the outside walls, leading to a crash involving Clint Bowyer.

The crash made Kevin Harvick furious, and both drivers crossed paths after the race on the pit road. The former Richard Childress Racing driver Harvick abandoned his car and went to confront Busch for his action. But the former Joe Gibbs Racing driver took off in his car to avoid facing Harvick's wrath.

Kyle Busch was featured in an episode of Harvick's "Happy Hour" podcast, where the duo revisited the moment. Reminiscing about the same, Harvick said:

"I recall my shoulder still hurting because as I went in to punch him in the head, he decided to take off in his car. Right here, he knew he was going to get punched in the head. He decided that, ‘I'm not going to get punched in the head.'"

Kevin Harvick further mentioned that both team owners summoned the duo in the trailers and had a heated conversation with Joe Gibbs. He added:

"Joe Gibbs said something, and I said something back. Joe actually wrote me a letter after that meeting of just, ‘Hey, this, this and this."

Kyle Busch finished 11th, and Kevin Harvick was in 17th place in the standings. Meanwhile, Regan Smith won the race, leading 11 laps.

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"We're sacrificing our name to get rid of theirs": Kevin Harvick's sponsor's rivalry campaign against the Busch brothers

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick's sponsors, Busch Beer, and his then-rivals Kurt and Kyle Busch shared the same last name. In 2019, the Beer Company changed its paint scheme from Busch to Harvick on his #4 Ford Mustang for the Dover Race.

During Harvick's Cup Series racing days, Kurt and Kyle Busch stood out to him as his primary rivals. Surprisingly, the #4 Ford Mustang driver's sponsor name with his rivals and made things more intense between them. However, Busch Beer had a perfect plan for the race.

Kevin Harvick's sponsor took to their X account and wrote:

"Turns out we’re not the only ones named “Busch.” So, we’re taking a break from giving those other guys free advertising and giving @KevinHarvick the spotlight. Look for the Harvick car this week at Dover!"

Continuing further, they explained:

"We love sponsoring Kevin Harvick, that's why we put our name all over him. But while the Busch name is associated with refreshment, it's also associated with two of Kevin's biggest rivals. So, for one race only, we're sacrificing our name to get rid of theirs, because we're going all in on Kevin. It's all Harvick."

Harvick outperformed his rivals, the Busch brothers, during the qualifying laps. Although he couldn't secure a win in the Dover Race, he gave a strong performance, finishing in fourth place. Harvick ended the race two places above Kyle Busch (sixth) and five places over Kurt Busch (ninth).