Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch Clash After Southern 500 At Darlington Raceway

In the aftermath of Regan Smith's stunning victory at Darlington Raceway, it was Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch who attracted the immediate attention from the NASCAR media.

Harvick, upset at Busch for what he deemed was an intentional wreck late in the race, tried to attack Busch on pit road following the race.

But as Harvick leaned in to punch Busch, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver hit the gas and shoved Harvick's unmanned car out of the way, sending it crashing head-first into the pit road wall.

Busch then roared into the garage and climbed from his car as angry No. 29 team members tried to get at him. The RCR crewmen pointed fingers and screamed at Busch as he ducked into the No. 18 hauler.

"There's people fuckin' walkin' down pit road, and he fuckin' run a car into the wall!" one livid Richard Childress Racing crewman yelled at the Joe Gibbs Racing crewmen who were guarding the path to the hauler.

"Everything's good! We're all friends here, OK?" a Joe Gibbs Racing crew member yelled back. "It's not our fight! It's not our fight! It's between them!"

Suddenly, Harvick showed up.

Without saying a word or changing his facial expression, Harvick brushed off the pleas from those in his inner circle to let it go and calm down, and walked with purpose toward Busch's hauler.

Harvick seemed intent on going into the No. 18 hauler, but two NASCAR officials blocked the entrance. Inside, JGR personnel scrambled in case of an invasion.

The RCR driver eventually realized he wasn't going to make it inside, and he turned and walked toward the NASCAR hauler on the other side of the garage – summoned by officials, as was Busch.

Busch took a few minutes to get dressed, then came out and did one pleasant-sounding interview with FOX.

"Clint (Bowyer) wrecked bouncing off Harvick," Busch said. "It was just uncalled for. Unacceptable racing."

He was referring to Harvick, who Busch said bumped the No. 18 car. Busch didn't mention the instance where he appeared to blatantly hook Harvick on the frontstretch after the caution came out.

Nor did Busch mention turning Harvick's car into the pit road wall as Harvick tried to lean in and punch Busch while the No. 18 was sitting at the entrance to pit road.

Busch then walked off in the direction of the NASCAR hauler, where he went inside to meet with Harvick and NASCAR officials over the post-race altercation.

When Harvick emerged into the throng of waiting media after a few minutes, Busch went out the other door and disappeared into the night.

Harvick, with a tight smile on his face, said "things happen."

What happened inside the NASCAR hauler?

"I don't have anything really to tell you other than, 'Not much,'" Harvick said.

Did Harvick expect any penalties?

"I have no idea," he said. "...I don't have any answers for you."

No one else had much to say, either.

Team owner Richard Childress said, "Things have a way of working out, and we'll just see where it goes from here." JGR President J.D. Gibbs said he didn't have any information on the meeting or a possible penalty, either.

"I didn't see it," he said. "I wasn't a part of the conversation inside (the hauler). I don't have a whole lot of information."

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp offered few details about the hauler chat.

"It was a discussion where they both aired, both voiced their opinions," Tharp said. "For them to be able to do that after the race is a good thing. And for us to be able to go back Monday or Tuesday and look at it again (for possible penalties) is also a good thing."

Tharp added that NASCAR was specifically concerned with what happened between the two drivers after the race – not the on-track action.

It's likely that this issue isn't over – both in terms of the feud between the drivers and with NASCAR having its say on a potential penalty before Dover next week.

UPDATE (1:56 a.m.): Busch says he lost reverse gear and went forward to avoid what "wasn't going to be a good situation."

"My choices were limited," he said. "I was either going to get punched in the face and then wait for Harvick to get back in his car for me to go or just drive through his car and push it out of the way so I could get out of there and not try to get hit.

"I just made a judgment call there and it wasn't one of the best choices that I had. ... I hate it that somebody could have gotten hurt, but I was just trying to get away from it and get back to my hauler and go on with my own business."