Seeing the words "Tony Stewart once punched a heckler" probably doesn't seem all that crazy, especially considering that the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has had quite the history with confrontation over the years. Let's say that Tony hasn't always been one to just let it go.
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On July 26, 2019, during "Tony Stewart Night" at the Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minnesota, the Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner actually DID let it go. Well, if by letting it go, you mean letting his fist go straight into a dirt racing fan's head.
Before the incident, Stewart was signing autographs following a Sprint Car race that ended for Tony after just one lap due to his engine blowing out. Apparently, one fan didn't take all that kindly to Stewart's early exit. Commence a heated exchange of words that ended with Smoke smoking the guy in the side of the head.
According to TMZ Sports, the heckler's name was Brandon Woehl, and here's what he supposedly said that got Stewart's attention: "F*** you, Tony. You piece of s***. You come here and basically race for one lap and quit, you piece of s***."
Tony later responded, "I blew my engine, you f****** a******. Do you want to pay for it?"
When the video actually starts, we see Tony flash Woehl the middle finger while also shouting a not-so-friendly "f*** you." Woehl one-ups Tony by throwing out TWO middle fingers (you can actually hear him him yell, "Hey, Tony, I got two of them," before flipping the double bird). That was enough to really get under Stewart's skin, and he rushed over to Woehl and clocked him in the head with a wild left. Whoel claims Tony said after the punch, "F***, I broke my hand."
As it turns out, the whole racetrack altercation was handled by Jackson Motorplex officials, and cops were not called to the scene. It's a little bit of a surprise that the heckler didn't try suing Stewart, but maybe, in the end, the guy was okay with taking his medicine.
Now, this incident came a little more than three years after Stewart's aggressive run-in with another fan at the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during which he shoved a guy for saying, "I don't like you, and I never have." Clearly, it doesn't take much to set Tony Stewart off.
