Fireworks erupt on pit road between Bowyer and Newman

As Kyle Larson celebrated his victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR All Star Race, fist to cuffs broke out on pit road between Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer.

Newman rear ended Bowyer on the cool-down and sent him head on into the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier.

The situation reached critical mass on pit road as Bowyer dashed towards Newman’s parked car and threw several punches at Newman as he sat in his car. Newman then got out of his car and verbally confronted Bowyer verbally as crew members from both teams and NASCAR officials tried to separate the two.

The fight eventually dispersed with no physical action taken.

Newman, who finished 13th, explained that the on-track exchange was retribution for how Bowyer raced him in the final stage and chastised him for keeping his helmet as he punched him.

“Bowyer chopped me on the front straightaway earlier in the race. I was just about to turn him around,” said the 2002 All-Star Race winner. “Then after the race, I tapped him in the back to let him know that I didn’t appreciate the way he raced me and then he body slammed me. Then I hit him back a little bit on the back straightaway and then he just cut across my nose in Turn 3.”

Bowyer, who started on pole for the 85-lap race but ended up 12th, plainly disagreed with Newman’s actions after the race but admitted that he thought Newman was a lap down during their scuffle in the race.

“I don’t know what the hell his beef was. I thought he was a lap down,” he said.

“They got four-wide off (Turn) 4. Hell, I thought he was a lap down. I checked up and ran into my left rear, that was the last I saw of him.

“Then after the race, he comes and runs into my back and turns me all around. I pulled up next into him and dumps into 4. Where I come from, you get poked in the nose for that and that’s what he got.”

The incident drew both driver to the NASCAR hauler and Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition, determined neither drier will be reprimanded for the incident.

“They had a little difference of opinion out there on the race track and they had a little difference of opinion here at the trailer,” said Miller. “We kind of understand what went on out there. I think they’re in a pretty good place, and we’re going to keep an eye on them. We’ll certainly monitor that next week and moving forward with those two.”