“Men take their helmets off”: When Tony Stewart shared his reaction to Clint Bowyer’s feud with Ryan Newman
Former Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart was disappointed with SHR driver Clint Bowyer for his altercation with Ryan Newman after the 2019 All-Star Race. Stewart reacted to Bowyer keeping his helmet on while punching Newman, who had already removed his helmet in the car.
In the 2019 All-Star Race, Bowyer started on pole but finished 12th at the checkered flag. During the cool-down lap, Newman retaliated for a final-lap incident by tagging Bowyer’s car, triggering a series of on-track exchanges that ended with the #14 Ford spinning and hitting the barriers.
Clint Bowyer returned the favor on pit road. After parking his #14 Ford, he ran toward Newman’s #6 Ford with his helmet on and began punching Newman, who was still in his car with his helmet off. Pit crew members and officials rushed to the scene as the two drivers talked it out.
Following the incident, Tony Stewart revealed that he was upset with Bowyer for not removing his helmet during the altercation, stating that’s what men do. Stewart also mentioned that he texted Bowyer after the race, telling him to take his helmet off if he was going to get into a fight.
"No, Bowyer’s not even close to the Hall of Fame. That kids has to take his helmet off if he’s gonna fight. These kids leave their helmets on to fight. Men take their helmets off and they fight. If you’re gonna fight, fight. The first thing I did was text Clint. I said, 'Take your helmet off if you’re going to get in a fight for Pete’s sake,'" he said [via RacingNews.co in 2019].
Tony Stewart also joked that he, along with IndyCar legend A.J. Foyt, should start a “fantasy camp” to teach drivers how to fight, instead of the “patty cake, patty cake sh*t.”
A couple of years later, another Stewart-Haas Racing driver, Kevin Harvick, kept his helmet on during his confrontation with NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, Chase Elliott, at Bristol.
When Tony Stewart threw his helmet at Matt Kenseth
Among the many iconic moments at Bristol Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart’s helmet toss at Matt Kenseth ranks as one of the most memorable. The incident occurred during the 2012 Night Race, when Stewart and Kenseth were battling for the lead.
With Stewart on the outside and Kenseth on the inside, the duo raced side by side while exiting the corner, trading paint aggressively. The contact ultimately led to a wreck, ending the Stewart-Haas Racing driver's race prematurely, while Kenseth returned to the track after repairs.
After Stewart exited his car, he executed a perfect throw with both hands, as his helmet was flung into and bounced off Kenseth's #17 Ford.
Tony Stewart eventually ended up 27th, while Kenseth had to settle for a 25th-place finish. Brad Keselowski won the championship that season, with Kenseth finishing seventh in the standings, two spots ahead of Stewart.