Thursday night Tony Stewart was involved in an altercation with a track offical at the USAC race in Indianapolis after an on-track incident involving his car was mishandled by USAC officals. According to sources, Tony came into pit lane and began to speak with an offical. Tony then slapped the offical's headset off and shoved the offical.

I posted this before but it was deleted. If there is something wrong with this one and it needs to be deleted too please let me know why. Thanks:-)

Yarboroughfan - 27 July 2008 11:59 AM

**shrugs** wow.. just watched the video.. from all the name calling I would have expected worse.. he didn't hit the guy.. just took his headphones off his head.. didn't "smack them off" the way I'd heard...

I watched that video and there was no question he "smacked them off".
How could you say "he just took his headphones off his head" as if he was helping the guy out?

Nobody said he punched the guy out or anything. The golden rule is you never, ever touch an official.

Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde

I saw this post yesterday before it was deleted. Must have been a computer glitch...right mod?!

I'd have been pretty upset too. Just a case of someone trying to make right with two wrongs. Tony should have left it alone, but it's understandable that he would be upset.

What would AJ Foyt have done if he felt that a car he owned was wronged by race officials?

You can see some video of the incident at http://www.wthr.com/. Stewart is my favorite NASCAR driver, but incidents like this one are completely over the top. He acted like a child. If a coach or player did something like this in the NBA or the NFL they would be suspended for months. He shouldn't be allowed to attend a USAC race for the rest of the season, regardless of whether his driver got a raw deal that night.

Another good reason for me to keep driving WAY past the nearest Home Depot and keep going to shop at Lowes.

I'll never defend a childish tantrum, but we don't know what was said. Also, I would not step in the way of someone who was as angry as him.

**shrugs** wow.. just watched the video.. from all the name calling I would have expected worse.. he didn't hit the guy.. just took his headphones off his head.. didn't "smack them off" the way I'd heard... and the other official got in Tony's face as he was walking... that's on him for being confrontational. Should Tony have taken the headphones off the official? no.. would I "suspend him for months from attending USAC sanctioned events", No.

Stewart had a legitimate reason for being angry.. the officials screwed the pooch on that call. I'd wonder about him if he WASN'T angry.

^ I agree. If Tony wasn't mad at what happend I would be concerned. Should he have acted like that? Probably not but we don't know what was said to Tony. And I have seen worse acts at the local playground by 10 years olds than that shove and ripping off the headphones.

And I bet this news crew was about to wet their pants that had been following Tony all over the place that they got something they could use for the news. They're not any better than the usual haters on this thread that are salivating about getting to be all self-righteous again when it comes to something Tony did.

And if you people are really that freaked out and muttering about suspensions and drivel like that.... you better avoid dirt track racing. People ARE actually allowed to show emotion there.

--M