Stewart, according to many online reports and at least a handful of NASCAR beat writers Friday morning at IMS, first knocked a radio headset off the head of a USAC (United States Auto Club) official and then shoved him during a pit road confrontation at ORP.
From the Anderson (Ind.) Herald Bulletin:
Stewart, the two-time Sprint Cup champion, owns the midget cars of Tracy Hines and Levi Jones. Hines entered Thursday's race as the points leader and was running in the top four when he brushed the outside wall on a restart on the eighth circuit
Hines' crew attempted to change a right rear flat tire and get Hines back into the race before another restart. As the crew pushed the car to the front of the straightaway, a USAC official indicated they were too late.
That brought Stewart down pit lane to voice his displeasure with the decision. Stewart's actions first knocked the headset from the official's head, and he then shoved the official.Stewart, as the article states, was at ORP watching his two midget cars race in the Toyota Challenge Racing Classic when the confrontation occurred.
It was unknown if USAC officials would issue any penalties against Stewart.
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The late Dale Earnhardt Sr. may forever be "The Intimidator," but a new generation of drivers are building a case to be named among NASCAR's bad boys. Meet 10 young guns who are making a name for themselves through a series of collisions with the media, fans and fellow drivers.
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10. Dario Franchitti: Franchitti has had limited action in NASCAR's top-tier Sprint Cup Series, but the star came in with a ton of hype thanks to his 2007 Indy 500 victory, his wife Ashley Judd, and one of the best stories of the offseason -- he chased down an intruder in only his boxers.
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9. Kasey Kahne: Don't be fooled by Kahne's boyish good looks and
mild-mannered attitude. The No. 9 driver got into a physical confrontation with a security guard last year which ended with the guard on the pavement and left Kahne with one charge of misdemeanor battery.
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8. Juan Pablo Montoya: Juan Pablo Montoya is arguably one of the best open-wheel drivers of his generation, but he's gaining a reputation in NASCAR for "lowdown, nasty, dirty driving." He spun teammate and then-race leader Scott Pruett in last year's Telcel-Motorola 200.
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7. Denny Hamlin: While many could look past Hamlin publicly calling out crew members, no one could look past his recent incident with one of the most respected names in NASCAR. After crashing Kyle Petty last year at Dover, Hamlin's post-race comments left many NASCAR fans with a bad taste.
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6. Carl Edwards: Edwards may seem composed, but a more sinister side lurks beneath the star. One of the newest bullies has drawn the ire of NASCAR officials, threatened to make Tony Stewart bleed at Pocono in 2006, and faked a punch at teammate Matt Kenseth after the Subway 500 last year.
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5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick is no stranger to spats with angry drivers. He's considered by many to be NASCAR's most volatile driver due to his reckless driving style and bitter criticism of competitors. He was the first driver in NASCAR history to be suspended for a race in 2002.
Rick Havner, AP
4. Kurt Busch: The elder Busch has had confrontations with drivers, his former boss and even with a sheriff's deputy. His penchant for feuds began in 2003, when he instigated a fight with Jimmy Spencer, and he recently got into a physical altercation with Tony Stewart at Daytona.
Jason Smith, Getty Images
3. Robby Gordon: Gordon has established himself as one of NASCAR's most controversial figures over the years because of incidents that range from slamming his helmet at Michael Waltrip's car in 2005 to throwing debris onto the track in 2006, which resulted in chaos for drivers and a 50-point penalty.
Todd Warshaw, NASCAR / Getty Images
2. Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch's driving style has been called reckless, yet outstanding. NASCAR's Public Enemy No. 1 tried to pull a daring three-wide move on his older brother at last year's All-Star Challenge which sent both cars into the wall. The two didn't talk to each other for four days.
Jerry Markland, NASCAR / Getty Images
This season, we've seen a different side of Stewart that has been filled with nothing but a calm demeanor, but it appears that a level of immaturity still exists within Sprint Cup's newest team member.
On Friday afternoon, Stewart admitted to having an "altercation" with the official to the NASCAR Scene:
"When you're sitting there and you've got your corporate sponsors there and you've got a car on the race track and it's sitting on pit lane and they can't get a push truck to it, you're supporting your guys and your team that worked hard on that car trying to get it back out," he said in explaining his role in the altercation.I don't know if I buy that explanation from Ol' Smoke.
I understand being frustrated, and I understand being upset. But that should never, ever result in physical contact -- as it has multiple times with Tony.
It is what it is, I suppose, and there's nothing we can do about it now. But really, when is Tony going to learn that it's not OK to put your hands on someone else in a violent manner?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 19)
7-25-2008 @ 2:00PM
ralph white said...
Someone needs to knock that little Napoleon on his as..
I saw in person and he is about 5 ft. nohting and can't weigh 150 lbs. along with being out of shape.
Bullies need to get bullied.
Reply
7-26-2008 @ 7:59AM
Jefff said...
ww are all missing the point.. what got Tony mad?
STUPID ASS CALLS FROM RACE "OFFICALS" some of these part time wanta-bee's have ruined race careeres...and god forbid if you question thier stpid ass call.. and what can you do about it, file an apeal AFTER the race.. and nothing happens,, same offical is back to work again the next weekend!!!!
Hats off to TONY!! Pop a few in the mouth ,, and maybe they'll start being more careful in making calls.
7-26-2008 @ 10:33AM
Linda said...
If you real saw Tony it was in your dreams .He's taller then 5'.
7-26-2008 @ 1:18PM
guillermo said...
big mouth. you've obviously never seen him. he is 5'10" and around 200-210. these guys were raised to go fast and they have a tight string when they race. they want to win and tempers fly occasionally. live with it and stop being so judgemental.
7-26-2008 @ 1:53PM
Rob said...
I know him and we have mutual friends and i have seen him take down some big mofos so maybe you should step up or shut up....CHUMP
7-26-2008 @ 2:11PM
Bear said...
OK, this is getting funny. Ralphie boy, you just compared Tony to Napoleon. Ever studied Napoleon? The power he had and the reign he held? Sure, he was short and I believe that is to what you compare of Tony - a short man who wielded power. (Tony really isn't short, by the way. Napoleon was, but not Tony. So, stop "compensating" by picking on him. Try Cialis. I see by their commercials you may just be a happier man.
Then you have the nuts to just come right out and call Tony Stewart short, overweight (it was implied) and "out of shape?"
The next time you slide yourself into a NASCAR (very, very few are chosen for this) you will understand one basic premise - withstanding 500 or more miles in temperatures that at times reach over 140 degrees, and win consistently, you will see that Tony and all other drivers are ATHLETES. What? Oh yeah, you won't get this chance.
Maybe he has a temper. But, at least he is honest and has the guts to stand up to others, regardless of their stature. And, he is a winner. He is also a philanthropist (you can look that word up yourself).
My guess is that if you ever had the pleasure and honor of meeting him, you would say one thing - "can I have your autograph, sir?"
And, your lip will be quivering, hoping you didn't catch him while he is pissed.
Who is the bully here now, Ralphie? The man on the track who is being the man he is in front of cameras, reporters, fans, other drivers, etc? Or some guy sitting in his parent's basement picking on a guy he know he will never meet while surfing porn? Pick on someone your own size. My guess that would be a very small guy. Um, very small -- I think you know what I mean. I read about it. Ya poor guy.
Bully Paris Hilton. I see someone is selling her videos here. It is probably more interesting than what you keep REPOSTING.
AbqBear on Myspace.
7-26-2008 @ 3:32PM
Randy Nix said...
Thats right i could not have said it better carl edwards needs to kick his punk ass that wiil change him hes a punk
7-26-2008 @ 4:37PM
Ed said...
Tony needs to get a haircut and loose some weight. I think he's Ron Jeremy every time I see him.
7-26-2008 @ 7:34PM
Matt said...
I know Tony personally and he definately uses poor judgement at times. This is one of those times. I was just wondering if you would care to step up and knock him on his ass? Just be sure to pack a lunch first!
7-25-2008 @ 2:16PM
Carlton said...
Tony needs to change his attitude and grow up .
Tony needs to be a better sponsor for NASCAR and his fan base.
You are a great driver , you could be a great team owner but you need to change-NOW!
Reply
7-26-2008 @ 11:02AM
Himmie said...
Get real man, this is what the fans like to see good old rough housing, none of this politicaly correct Bulllllllllllll shitttttttttttttt
7-26-2008 @ 2:22PM
INDY GUY said...
Tony IS a MAN, He just finds it difficult to deal with children. I was associated with USAC way back when and can tell you, they have always had dumb help.
7-25-2008 @ 2:26PM
Chris said...
If this story is true, I can assure you this story is true, I was sitting in the grandstand right in front of this. The USAC Official should have punched tony in his mouth. Somebody needs to stand up to this guy. Ill punch him in the mouth if i were ever to get close enough to him.
Reply
7-26-2008 @ 12:13AM
sassy4smoke07 said...
Well I am sure Tony would kick your lil punk a$$ into 2010 if you hit him. Because you sound like a reject from Hendricks.
7-26-2008 @ 7:40AM
Terry said...
Perfect solution! Add more violence. The official handled himself like a professional. Shoving someone is immature and potentially dangerous, adding a blow to the face? That would have been overkill to a shove and Tony would have come off like the good guy. That's why they use the term NASCAR dads in a deragatory manner.
7-26-2008 @ 8:52AM
Brittany said...
I can assure you that Tony Stewart will kick your ass!! And anybody esles who stood in the way! So please don't try!
7-26-2008 @ 7:22PM
Cindy said...
Tony has what I call...Little Man's Syndrome!!!!!Smaller they are the badder they think they are, he needs knocked down a few pegs, the jerk! I have met him and was not impressed at all, actually his monkey has more personality!
7-26-2008 @ 10:58AM
msuicerfan said...
I'm actually replying to Sassy. There is nothing wrong with Hendricks...What team has had the champ for the last two years??? Enough said!
7-25-2008 @ 2:29PM
Jen said...
This makes me laugh. The words "Alleged" and "if these reports are true". Do they just make something up when they don't have any thing else to talk about? Get the facts straight and then write your story.
Reply
7-25-2008 @ 2:30PM
Dave said...
A level of immaturity still exists within Stewart? Really? Were you or anyone you know actually dumb enough to believe he was omehow morphing into a "normal" guy in recent months? Tony Stewart is an amazing talent and a bona fide champion racer, but the guy plain and simply has very real psychological issues that go beyond simple immaturity or ultra-competitiveness and I've pointed that out on these NASCAR blogs more than once. Regardless of what his defenders or he himself might choose to believe, Stewart could benefit from extended professional psych counseling (not just a few sporadic anger-management sessions as he's engaged in previously as that's just a joke) and that, quite frankly, has probably always been the case with him going back to childhood. With all due repsect to post #1, your observations are laughably simplistic (sounds like something my father would say, and believe me, that's no compliment) and your juvenile suggestion is flat ignorant as even beating Stewart bloody repeatedly wouldn't begin to fix his mental issues and these kinds of things, and worse incidents, will continue to happen as long as those issues remain.
Reply