Tony Stewart’s Bitter Rival Goes Back on His Words, 25 Years After His “Nudged Him a Little” Admission

On the final lap of the 1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus 200 at North Carolina Speedway, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth were battling for the lead. Stewart was in the lead, but Kenseth was closing in. As they entered the final turn, Kenseth made a move to pass Stewart. Stewart blocked Kenseth’s move, but Kenseth nudged Stewart’s car. The contact caused Stewart to move outside towards the wall, and Kenseth passed from the inside and went on to win the race.

Stewart was not happy with the contact, and he accused Kenseth of intentionally wrecking him. Kenseth denied the accusation, saying that he had simply made a racing move. The two drivers exchanged words after the race.

The contact between Stewart and Kenseth was a controversial one, and it is thought to be intentional by Matt Kenseth. However, he recently opened up for the matter after 25 years on Dale Jr Download, but let’s take a look at the interview after that race first.

Matt Kenseth Reveals His Reason Behind the Contact

In the race, Tony Stewart began from the pole position and maintained a strong place throughout 196 laps. Meanwhile, Matt Kenseth started from the 27th position and steadily worked his way up the ranks. On the final lap, Kenseth made slight contact with Stewart, which proved to be enough for him to overtake and defeat Stewart.

During a post-race interview, Kenseth revealed that his team was racing without a sponsor, and winning the race was crucial for them to secure a full-time sponsor.

Matt said in his post-race interview, “Got a little touch of going there then but we need to win the race, we don’t have a sponsor for a car we’re looking for a full-time sponsor.”

He continued, “Got a little touch and go off there too a couple of lap cars got away I had him beat there and he pitched me off the lap card, I just nudged him in a little but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.”

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While Tony Stewart acknowledged in his interview that the contact with Kenseth caused him to lose control of his car, allowing Kenseth To pass him, he emphasized that the amount of time was enough for Matt to make a move and win.

Matt Kenseth Spills a Bean After 25 Years

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It is worth noting that Kenseth and Stewart have had a longstanding rivalry throughout the years, which has been well-documented.

During a recent episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast, Matt Kenseth provided some intriguing insights about the notorious 1998 race. As Dale Jr inquired about the race, he said, “The way you moved Tony Stewart out of the way” Matt instantly jumped and said, “I didn’t touch him!” Which is not what people had got from his post race interview.

He then went on to explain the situation at the last lap, “Winning through that last lap like someone doesn’t race properly but Tony missed it by four inches and when he missed it he didn’t really get way off the line but he wasn’t sucked down the line.

“My left front hit him, the car do that as soon as I floored it and he was like that far of the bottom and the air got to his left and I was just barely moved and stored him and he just started moving his car up and I was able to pass line which I don’t still know how ever happen, really wasn’t expecting that but it was great to race.”

READ MORE: Tony Stewart Reignites His Richard Childress And Joe Gibbs Outburst With An 8-Word Defense For His “Talent Vs Money Debate”