When two of the greatest drivers of all time fight on track, one can always expect fireworks. That is exactly what happened at Watkins Glen in 2000. Jeff Gordon was looking for his seventh straight win on a road course but his attempt was thwarted by Tony Stewart. The incident unfurled on the second lap of the race. Gordon attempted to pass Smoke on the second lap. The latter went into the guardrail during the fight and returned the favor to the four-time Cup Series champion.
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What followed was a heated altercation on pit road between the two drivers. Gordon went over to Stewart’s garage to give him a piece of his mind and Smoke did not hold back. Things seemed to calm down between the two after a few words were exchanged. Looking back, it was a surreal moment in the sport’s history.
“You’d better practice what you preach,” Stewart said angrily. “You’re always telling me to take it easy on the first lap. You think I did it on purpose?” The Hendrick Motorsports star was not going to hold back either. “I’ll slam you into the wall the first chance I get,” the four-time champion hurled at the three-time champion.
August 13, 2000: Jeff Gordon came to @WGI trying for an unprecedented 7th straight #NASCAR road course win. On lap 2 he pulled alongside Tony Stewart to attempt a pass. Stewart briefly lost control and pushed Gordon into the guardrail. A post-race verbal disagreement followed. pic.twitter.com/hNH6R1AC8z
— Jeff Gordon Online (@JGinfo) August 13, 2024
The contact with Smoke was not the only thing that disadvantaged Gordon and prevented him from winning his seventh straight road course win. The driver of the #24 car was penalized later on in the race for jumping a restart. He was attempting to gain a lap he had lost during the event. The four-time champion only managed to finish P23. Stewart, on the other hand, had a decent run and recorded a P6 finish.
Amidst all this chaos, Steve Park celebrated his career’s first win in the NASCAR Cup Series. “We didn’t win it on a fuel-mileage deal,” he said after winning at the iconic track. “We had to race our guts out against a guy who’s known for winning a lot of races.” Park also thanked the fans for believing in him as he got several letters that said he would soon win his career’s first Cup Series race. Turns out it came true on an eventful day.
