Friday night's Budweiser Shootout practice at Daytona International Speedway was action-packed, but what happened off the track may be a bigger story.Tony Stewart, according to multiple sources, punched fellow driver Kurt Busch in front of NASCAR officials in the NASCAR hauler.
The two had been involved in an on-track incident that saw Stewart send Busch's No. 2 in to the wall coming in to turn 3, and then Busch retaliated with several door slams before coming to pit road.
From The Charlotte Observer's Jim Utter:
A meeting in the NASCAR hauler Friday night after an on-track incident between driver Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch ended abruptly when Stewart allegedly struck Busch in the presence of NASCAR officials and left the hauler, four sources with knowledge of the incident told The Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com.Four sources generally means that something happened, and when they call confirm the same thing, well, I think you get my point.
The physical altercation was the reason NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter told a gathering of media outside the hauler Saturday evening that another conversation with the two drivers would be held Saturday morning, the sources said.
NASCAR has talked about letting the drivers be themselves this season, but I do think they've already made a mistake in not making Kurt Busch and the rest of the field fully realize that using a car as a weapon is not a good idea. Fines and probation don't do that.
As for Stewart, if he really did punch Busch, that is simply unacceptable and is way over the line of "showing emotion".
I have a feeling this story isn't quite finished yet.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
2-09-2008 @ 9:00PM
jackie chance said...
kurt Bush has been needing his but kicked for two years. He is recless has been since he first hit the track. NASCAR has allowed him to much lattitude and the rest of the drivers are within their right rights to take him to taskfor his crap. If you watched the incident unfold I see no way you could fault Stewart.
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2-09-2008 @ 10:52PM
TacMan said...
GO TONY!!!!! I agree, Bush has had this one comming for a while.... It was clearly "Racing" and then Bush went too far by using his car which he has done too many times in the last two years. LET THE SEASON BEGIN!!!!
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2-09-2008 @ 11:07PM
topher said...
Tony and Kurt are both girls, and Tony is a fat girl, let him try some of his BS on a so cal fan!!!
I'd like to slap him on his fat head!!!
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2-10-2008 @ 12:07AM
Angela Helms said...
Tony has always had an attitude problem, and yes Bush is a young punk trying to get to the top, both of them need to be put into the wall a few times.....after all lets not forget how many times Stewy has done it............Thank God for NASCAR
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2-10-2008 @ 12:12AM
racing20guy said...
Oh please let this be true! It would be worth any amount of probation or fine for Kurt Bitch to have gotten smacked around. I'd even take a collection to help pay the fine.
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2-10-2008 @ 12:30AM
sonja said...
I agree Bush does not need to use his car as a weapon he is going to hurt one of the guys in the pits one day and then what is he going to do. As for Tony punching him a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. GO TONY!!!!!!
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2-10-2008 @ 1:25AM
Linda Whited said...
Tony Stewart is a damn good driver He is out there to race just like any of the others but I think there has been a lot of crap pushed toward him that he did not deserve As far as his attitude Kurt Busch deserved to be hit more than once When you use your race car as a weapon because you are to chicken to do anything else that is pretty bad Hooray for Tony Tony Stewart is a very amazing driver to me He puts on a damn good show even when he is hurt You go Tony
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2-10-2008 @ 11:17AM
mabe said...
i always knew that tony stewart was a punk! he always hides behind his teams skirt but now he has chosen to hide behind nascars skirt. why would he sucker punch somebody in a meeting, im sure he had time to do it in the garage but like i said he is a punk!!
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2-10-2008 @ 8:48AM
kaw1064 said...
You Go Tony!!! He's been getting away with crap for years. You had to take the matter into your own hands. NASCAR does nothing.
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2-11-2008 @ 8:27PM
onestick said...
Tony Is a SHORT OVERWEIGHT SPOILED LITTLE PUSS!
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2-10-2008 @ 9:07AM
Sportyv said...
The way they got into it on the track happens all the time and is part of racing. What happened on pit road was Kurt Busch being the spoiled brat incapable of controling his tantrums as usual. Nothing new. What he needs to realize is that some drivers, Tony Stewart especially, aren't going to take crap from him. Go Tony!
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2-10-2008 @ 9:28AM
Tracy said...
YES, I'M A BIG TONY FAN! I'm the first to admit that Tony has a major attitude, always has, always will. Nascar should let the drivers "duke it out" like it has in the early years but when they do, they should be monitored to keep it a fair fists to cuffs (like a boxing match). Hmmmmmm, there's an Idea, Nascar should have a set of gloves for the drives to use so they can whack the tar outta each other. Kurt should be fined for using his car like that, Tony should have not blocked him like that at the garage entrance. Let them fight it out with their fists! many of great friendships have spawned from punching it out, that might do it for Kurt and Tony.
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2-10-2008 @ 9:19AM
david said...
Tony is a punk..with no class,its plain too see that someone is going to take him out,pretty soon.
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2-10-2008 @ 9:28AM
McIntosh 16 said...
I say we give them both a pair of boxing gloves and let Tony do his thing. He would beat the livin hell out of Kurt. I believe thats all it would take for that spoiled brat Kurt to mellow out.
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2-10-2008 @ 10:15AM
Bruce Bogart said...
This really gets down to being a professional and a gentleman's game. What NASCAR should do is suspend both of them for the entire season. No racing anywhere. What would have been the result if one of them with child's attitude accidently hurt a fan or worse yet a child? We don't need this in racing. NASCAR doesn't need the liability. There are 100 young people waiting for the opportunity to step into the shoes of these two. Give someone else a chance. We don't need either one of them.
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2-10-2008 @ 10:07AM
Ronnie Roberts said...
I hope Tony did punch the little punk, everyone knows he deserves it, kurt the little boy needs to grow up
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2-10-2008 @ 10:13AM
Ronnie Roberts said...
I hope Tony did punch the little punk, several times, it's what busch has needed for a long time. The little brat needs to grow up. I think that if busch continues to act like a child he needs to be banned from any kind of sports
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2-10-2008 @ 11:17AM
Alan Salisbury said...
Good for you, Bruce. There are at least 100 drivers out there with out rides who would gladly step into these two babies shoes.You people who stick up with either Tony or Kurt are full of it. Grow up!
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2-10-2008 @ 11:24AM
Karl said...
What does it say when KYLE BUSCH is the most sensible, mature guy at Gibbs & in the Busch Family? Kurt is a Jeckle/Hyde that can turn on a dime, and Tony is a spoiled whiny baby who needs laid to release some pent-up rage (but since he suppoedly don't like women that might be difficult).
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2-10-2008 @ 11:41AM
joe said...
WHAT 2 RACE DRIVERS IN A FIGHT. FIGHTS ARE PART OF THE RACIN GAME. DRIVERS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING SINCE THE 50'S WHEN THE 500 WAS RUN ON THE SAND AT DAYTONA BEACH.
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