HOMESTEAD, Fla. --
Tony Stewart and
Juan Pablo Montoya positioned themselves for a grand finale in NASCAR's Sprint Cup season-ender at Homestead Miami Speedway on Sunday. Montoya was set for a career-best points finish, with Stewart enjoying a great debut effort for his own new team.
Instead of finishing on a high note, the two veterans engaged in a spirited battle of fender-banging that resulted in both losing positions in the final championship standings.
Montoya started it with hitting Stewart's Chevrolet from behind. Stewart retaliated by coming down the race track and spinning Montoya out.
After almost a half-hour in the garage with his team making repairs to his No. 42 Target Chevrolet, Montoya returned to the track and promptly spun Stewart out, resulting in a two-lap penalty for Montoya, and a smashed-up car for Stewart.
Neither would comment after the race. However, Stewart's crew chief, Darian Grubb, approached Montoya's crew chief, Brian Pattie, in the garage after the race and said, "Sorry, dude.''
Pattie said he was dumbfounded how or why the whole dust-up started.
When Montoya made the final retaliation, Stewart came on the radio and said, "He got us,'' and Grubb responded, "Well, we deserved it.''
"We had the car going really good, we were really coming up through the field,'' Pattie said. "The part I'm frustrated with is I don't know how it all happened.
"I'm not mad though because I know where we're going, and we're going in the right direction.''
Grubb was a little more candid in his assessment.
"We weren't thinking about points, we were thinking about winning the race and then both of their common senses went out the window,'' Grubb said.
Stewart ended up 22nd in the No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet and dropped one place to sixth in the final standings after leading the championship at the end of the regular season. Montoya, the first non-American driver to qualify for the Chase for the Championship, finished 38th Sunday and lost two places in the standings, dropping to eighth in the final points -- still a career best for the former Indy 500 winner and Formula One star.
Sunday's winner
Denny Hamlin, who was penalized in Saturday's Nationwide Series race for intentionally spinning out
Brad Keselowski, joked afterward that he must have been an "inspiration" to Stewart and Montoya.
"I thought yesterday was worth it to me and maybe they thought today deserved it too,'' Hamlin said.
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Latest NASCAR Photos
Jimmie Johnson performs a burnout as he heads to victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Jimmie Johnson stands on his car after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season championship, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday Nov. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Rusty Jarrett, Pool)
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Jimmie Johnson is the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 22, 2009, in Homestead, Florida. (Peter Andrew Bosch/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Juan Pablo Montoya (42) was penalized for aggressive driving after hitting Tony Stewart (14) during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 auto race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 22, 2009, in Homestead, Florida. (Peter Andrew Bosch/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Mark Martin makes a pit stop during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 auto race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 22, 2009, in Homestead, Florida. (Peter Andrew Bosch/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Jimmie Johnson performs a burnout as he heads to victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Jimmie Johnson, left, is congratulated by his wife, Chandra, right, after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
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Jimmie Johnson, front right, and Scott Speed, front left, lead the field as they take the green flag to start the NASCAR Ford 400 Sprint Cup series auto race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Glenn Smith)
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Jimmie Johnson holds up his trophy after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season championship, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday Nov. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Rusty Jarrett, Pool)
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Jimmie Johnson does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series season championship, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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Jimmie Johnson celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup season title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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Comments (Page 1 of 3)
I am glad to see some one else gave Tony Stewat some of his own Headaches and Won Out Over Him It Is A Wonder Tony Did Not Do More Damage Than That I whis the Nascar Office Would Take His Licence From Him Before He Kills some One Next Years Just To Win as He Did In Daytonta where Mr. Eranarha Sr. Died. Just To Win and They did nothing but give him his money and Trophey and some one keeps doing it to Dale,Jr all the time. And Tony Stewart Gets away with it Scott Free and Wins hands down. What are you Guys waiting for him to kill some one Like maybe Dale Jr. Next year Take his Linceance away. I have not watched a race since that one and will not as long as Mr. Tony Stewart is in his Car to drive next year. Amen. Irene Hodges. I am Proud to Be an American Citizen of The United States but not of him and the Nascar Offical that let him Cheat to Win! Amen! God Bless American And Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordan and Mark Martin and Dale,Jr and his Late dad but not Mr. Stewart ever again. Amen!
GET A GRIP IBEMOP U HAVE LOST IT
Damn?i thought my english was bad, yours looks like you been sharing the jungle with tarzan for the past 4 decades.
And you have not idea about TONY STEWART the person,and his generous heart, so you should either get an education about nazcar drivers or shut the hell up.
Even on the track stewart has been a clean and mellow driver since his HAAS partnership,but when anyone come across a spanish (same nationality as HYPERMOB) cachey, obnoxious,punk,bully, wise ass like your LIKE THE MONTANA BUM,there is no other choice but get THOUGH AND RUN HIM TO THE WALL HARD AND PUT HIM OUT OF HIS MISERY FOR THE ALL RACE.
STEWART did even do that and that why the montana got the chance to get back at him.
PAYBACKS ARE A BITCH!!!!!. WAIT TO DAYTONA OR THEREAFTER; YOUR SAME NATIONALITY PAISAN DRIVER
WILL PAY UP! GUARANTEED!!! works for mee....
YOur comment might make more sense if words were spelled correctly and there was a period used once or twice. Did yew grajewate from skooll?
Well first you must watch the same race that the rest of us did in order to comment with some kind of logic. So maybe I can inform you a little bit here. Montoya started that whole mess ( not hatin on JPM I like him as well as Tony Stewart) But he did start it.
As for your complaining about Tony Stewart goes, he has more god given racing talent than all those drivers you worship, Dale Sr. Gordon & Jimmie may have more Nascar Championships but if you look at all of there total racing careers they don't come close to what Tony Stewart has done. Thats not bragging about my favorite driver, its just facts,,, look them up
THIS IS FOR DAVE #4.
I think you are replying to IPERMOB and not to me,
but i'll reply anyhow.NO ARGUEMENT THERE WHATSOEVER in regard what you are saying about stewart and yes JPM started the all show.
TRUST ME; TO BE CONTINUED IN 2010.I BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SHOW FOR 3 YEARS and so has at least another poster that i know(stewart fan).However i appreciate you comparing stewart 2 dale earnahara,( LIKE SHE CALLS HIM,LOL) but DALE EARNAHARA has done a little more than TONY STEWART in numbers of titles. 7nazicar champs for dale3. 5 VARIOUS SERIES champs for STEWART,as i recall. WE may agree on that.
What the devil are you rambling about? You make no sense.
SHE is rambling her fantasys about STEWART, LARRY OR GEORGE.Your previous post got SABOTAGED, and so couple others.Lets hope holly mccain is not slowly turning in to another TGIF,(former writer here for those unaware).
IPERMOP MUST BLEW HER CORDLESS POWERMOP AND THE FUMES HAVE HIT HER BRAINS. That what's all about.
Ibmop you have the brains of a mop.That is what the sport is about bumping.Earnhardt Sr. raced hard and bumped more people then Stewart but he was the best and thats why. If u are slow get out of the way or your going in the wall thats how it is and should be.
Ibemop you have the brains of a mop.You do not know what racing is about.Dale Sr. bumped more people then Stewart ever will,but he was the best because of it.That is racing.If you are fast get out of the way or get bumped in the wall.End of story.
Big difference!!!!! Sr. could do it without spinning ya out or into the wall.
BIG DIFFERENCE!!!!! Sr. could do it without spinning ya out or into the wall. Ask Jeff Gordon or Rusty Wallace.
Ibemop is really Denny Hamlin, both rambling morons.
WRONG SAMTITS, SORRY TO SAY BUT YOU ARE.
DANNY GREMLIN was a punk like the kylkie bush and the montana boy only in the first year he debutted.After that he begun to change exspecially last year AND THIS YEAR. I viewed many of his media interviews and the ones reported on the net or magazines.CHECK HIM OUT CLOSE FOR A WHILE. YOU'LL SEE.
Now that the season is over. It makes me wonder
about Earnhardts tenure with HMS.When ur teammates
r finishing ist 2nd 3rd. Its going make any excuse
thats not driver related have very little validity.
why is everybody comparing what jr does to where his teamates finish? that 123 means sh*t when it jj that came out on top again. martin and gordon might as well me 12th and 11th. jr and gordon has won the same amoutn of races in 2 years. i can name 15 good drivers that didnt win squat this year and they have the same crew chiefs theyve always had. jr teamates dont even talk about him dude, its all about the 123 right? jr was the top finishing hendrick driver last year at the end of most of the races. compare his crew chief to then and who he had since then. only a complete moron would question jrs driving ability. i know for a fact his teamates didnt have 5 dnfs a piece. let the rhetoric go already and let jr get back to form in 10.
JUNIOR WAS THE TOP FINISHING HENDRICK DRIVER AT THE END OF MOST RACES????????????????????????????
DID YOU JUST DROP OFF MARS OR THE MOON WHATSGOODENS?EARNHARDT88SUCKS AND HE HAS HAD BOTTOM FINISHS THIS ENTIRE YEAR AND MOST OF THE SEASON IN THE LAST 3 YEARS AT LEAST.
GET OFF THE CRACK AND WAKE UP DUDE YOUR LOSER DRIVER IS DONE AND OVER WITH RACING!EARNHARDT88SUCKS!.
ibemop; I think Dale Sr. was 1 of the best and still is one of the best race car drivers (God rest his soul) yet do you even know his nickname? or why he got that nickname? or did you jump on the bandwagon like a lot of (not so real) fans did after his tragic death (sad but true)? Dale Sr. was and still is the "intimidator" for a reason - best at the art of drafting from back front and side and simply pushing you out of the way when it was time for you to get out of the way - if it wrecked you - you got mad and got over it - if he wrecked he got mad and got over it (at times after an altercation) that's racing man - that's 1 thing that always has made NASCAR so fun and exciting to watch
hi, am not a 14 fan or either 42 fan ,hate 18 tho.i was sleepin while the race was on workin too many hours,i was asleep but am glad my driver won, 48, he is the best there is and the best there will be,,,read this and weep, all you 14 and 18 fans read this and weep, ,,ohhhh 18 cry, cry cry cry.
Your cheat 48 gay driver will never be recognized
as a true champion by majority of the fans.
He will always be labeled as the cheat team along with his p...y face boyfriend chad.
Names like earnhardt, petty, gordon, even stewart
will be known and remembered as true champion and winners without the cheat, the nascar help, the hendrick bribs.The 18? who gives sa damn?.