Watch: 11 Years Before Austin Dillon’s Helmet-Gate, Tony Stewart’s Perfect “Southpaw” Won Over the NASCAR World

NASCAR holds a special place in the world of motorsports. As raw and unfiltered as a sport gets, racing in NASCAR is a one-of-a-kind experience. Unruly styles of racing, rivalries, unanticipated wrecks, and spicy rivalries—the game has it all. Although one could argue that it has gone soft over the years, it can still be considered relatively crude. Three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart is one of the most authentic drivers who has never held back his words.

Tony is known for his straightforward attitude, which is often fiery to observe. An elite driver who has conquered every form of racing he has driven in, Tony has had his moments of fury too. Looking back at one such instance, Tony got into a scuffle once that reminds us of Austin Dillon‘s recent helmet throw at Tyler Reddick.

Tony Stewart once unleashed his left hand on Matt Kenseth’s car

The atmosphere was that of an enjoyable evening of Cup Series racing at Bristol. The 2012 race at Bristol Motor Speedway witnessed some flares of aggression flying on the track as former drivers Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth went up against each other.

Going into the turn, Tony and Matt were vying for a pass on each other. Kenseth, in the #17 Ford, tried to fend off Tony’s challenge, but en route to attempting that, he accidentally doored the #14 car. As a result of the contact, Kenseth got trapped between the #14 and the pit road wall. But surprisingly, Kenseth was the one whose car escaped from the situation while Tony’s car spun out on the track.

Furious at Kenseth for his actions, Tony decided to confront his rival in the pits. As Kenseth’s car passed a livid Stewart in the parking lot, the Stewart-Haas Racing owner flung his helmet at the #17 car. The helmet went on to hit his chassis, which fortunately fell outside the trajectory of the car. Answering the media’s questions about his outburst, he later said,

“We were definitely faster than Matt after that restart. Checked up twice to not run over him and I learned my lesson there. I’m gonna run over him every chance I get from out of the red end of the year.”

On being notified about his helmet surviving the ‘Southpaw’ throw, Tony replied, “I don’t give a c**p.”

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Well, that’s one version of Tony Stewart that the NASCAR world has been wary of. However, a week after the incident, he clarified that he does not like seeing his anger get the better of him in Charlotte.

Tony was in the mood for jokes after his outburst of rage

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NASCAR did not take any sort of action against Tony Stewart for the drama at Bristol. This goes on to show the degree of brazen incidents back then in NASCAR, an age that is often considered the golden age for the sport. Speaking to the reporters at a press conference in Charlotte next week, Tony seemed to be in a lighter mood than he was at Bristol.

“I don’t enjoy getting mad like that. It doesn’t make my day. I wasn’t happy when I did it, I wasn’t happy when it was over, I wasn’t happy when I got home.” said Tony, regretting his display of rage.

But that didn’t stop him from bringing some humor into the conversation. The throw was a sight that even caught the eyes of the commentary box, which admired a bullseye from the now 52-year-old.

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“Not bad for a 41-year-old that doesn’t work out. (The two-hand throw) was a little unorthodox, but I definitely got a little velocity on it with two (hands). I can’t say I’ve practiced that much. Maybe I can find some used-up helmets my dad used in his racing career and practice in the backyard like I used to do with baseball.” added Tony.

Looks like all that baseball practice with his dad finally paid off, albeit in an altogether different sport.