Fontana, CA – Tony Stewart and Joey Logano were seen trading punches at the end of a heated Auto Club 400 in Fontana on Saturday.
Stewart and Logano were pulled apart from one another after a race that saw Kyle Busch clinch victory and Denny Hamlin taken to hospital after a head-on crash with an inner wall.
Busch triumphed in Saturday’s thrilling 400-mile stock car race after Logano, while scrapping for the lead, caused Hamlin to crash on the last lap. When Hamlin’s vehicle collided with a wall that did not have a SAFER (steel and foam energy reduction) barrier, the driver was airlifted to a local hospital. Hamlin was later confirmed to be “alert and awake.”
With the race finished, the drama continued off the track , with Tony Stewart storming off to find Logano. The 41-year-old driver accused his 22-year-old rival of blocking him down the inside, and a ruckus quickly escalated. As both men were separated by crew members, Logano threw a water bottle at Stewart, a move the older driver later described as the actions of “a little girl.”
When asked what had got him so fired up, Stewart was blunt in his answer:
“What the hell do you think I was mad about?. Dumb little [expletive]. He loves to [expletive] about everybody else and he’s the one who drives like a little [expletive]. I’m going to bust his ass.”
Logano, who came in third behind Dale Earnhardt Jr., told reporters that Stewart had been “collateral damage” as he attempted to nudge Hamlin out of contention. “That’s what he gets,” said Logano. “I had to throw the block there for the lead.”
Logano is reportedly keen to call Stewart to straighten things out, but Stewart is not in the mood for reconciliation. “I ain’t taking the call,” he huffed to the Speed network . You can watch the pair clash in the footage below, and also see Stewart’s enraged post-race interview.
Did you catch the race, and was Tony Stewart justified in his anger with Logano? Sound off in the comments!