Former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart made the news over the weekend after a video of him punching a heckler in the face at a racetrack Friday went viral.
Stewart can be seen in the video signing autographs and discussing the engine failure with fans before running over to the heckling fan and delivering a punch right to his face before being held back by some bystanders.
Here is the video:
Nice job @TonyStewart that guy totally had it coming! pic.twitter.com/fJlTOJpOo2
— Brandon W. (@brandonw334) July 27, 2019
So @TonyStewart just knocked the lights out of this dude @jacksonmotorplx ????????????#LightsOut pic.twitter.com/mJl22WkXV7
— Andre Fiorini (@FioriniAndre) July 27, 2019
Stewart has been known as a hothead throughout his racing career. Bumping into other cars, throwing his helmet at people, several fights and an incident where Stewart killed another driver are just some of his racing controversies. (RELATED: Watch Clint Bowyer Throw Punches At Ryan Newman During NASCAR All-Star Race)
Stewart has an abundance of fans because of his on-track behavior. However, his off-track behavior was highlighted Friday night. After several expletives were shouted in both directions, “Smoke” decided to flip the heckler off before going in for the kill.
The best part of the video has to be the immediate support he gets from his fans as it seems like the guy was being a real killjoy. If Stewart wasn’t held back that guy would’ve felt the wrath of “Smoke” and it would not have ended well.
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Stewart is still racing in smaller events while investing as co-owner of the Stewart-Haas race team. Even on “Tony Stewart Night,” the NASCAR legend wanted to make his presence known with a punch for the ages.