#17-Matt Kenseth and #29-Kevin Harvick continued their feud from last weekend’s race at Pocono in dueling news conferences Friday at Michigan International Speedway. Kenseth and Harvick each spun out in incidents involving the other in the final four laps of last Sunday’s Pocono 500. This week, NASCAR fined each $25,000 and placed both on probation until Aug. 11. Harvick said Kenseth’s spin was the result of Kenseth brake-checking in front of him, while Kenseth said he retaliated against Harvick because if “I was going to lose those spots (on the track), then he was going to lose his, too.” While Kenseth spent much of his time with the media contradicting Harvick’s account of the incident, Harvick directed most of his comments at NASCAR officials, saying he was penalized him without cause. “We presented NASCAR with everything they needed. (Kenseth’s) skid marks are very evident on the race track and I wish now I had taken a picture of them. There’s no way you can spin someone out under caution without at least knocking the grille out of your car,” Harvick said. “Just like (Nextel Cup Series director) John Darby told me, ‘Your past is probably why you’re getting a fine.’ I don’t think that’s the right way to go. But then, what has been right the past few weeks?” Harvick said he would not appeal the penalty. “The appeals process doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter if you’re right or wrong, you’re going to lose,” he said. Harvick and his team owner, Richard Childress, remain adamant that Kenseth instigated both incidents under caution. “I’ve done a lot of wrong things, and that’s the first time I have ever talked to Mike Helton twice and presented everything we presented,” Harvick said. “Whether they like it or not, they are hard, cold facts.” Kenseth denied he brake-checked, triggering the first spin. After both news conferences, Darby again asked both drivers to visit the NASCAR hauler, where they met for several minutes before the start of Friday’s practice session.(see full story at ThatsRacin.com)(6-19-2004)
