Stewart confronts heckler in stands

A verbal exchange ensued with Hess telling Stewart, “I don’t like you and I never have”.

Sheriff’s office investigators are looking into the incident.

The fan who allegedly taunted Tony Stewart and flipped him the finger is a police officer.

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart confronted a man attending the Chili Bowl Nationals Friday in Tulsa, OK. Tony finally went up into the stands and they got face to face. During the confrontation, other fans in the area yelled, “Tony, Tony, Tony”.

Cell phone videos from fans posted online shortly after show Stewart and the fan locking hands and engaging in heated conversation. “The fan pushed toward Tony; Tony stepped back, and a security guard basically stepped between the two and just made a motion and the fan, who had consumed a lot of alcohol, sat down”. In 2014, he struck and killed a racer, Kevin Ward Jr., who had left his auto during the race in NY. The incident happened when Ward got out of his auto to confront Stewart after hitting the wall while the two were racing together.

The incident between Stewart and Hess is one of many examples that occur on a weekly basis where fans feel they have the right to cross the proverbial line.

Tony Stewart walks to his vehicle during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race Friday, June 26, 2015, in Sonoma, Calif. But NASCAR drivers deal with fan trash talk on a regular basis during the season – negative comments and obscene gestures from fans aren’t exactly a rare occurrence.

The two-time Chili Bowl victor and owner of Eldora Speedway, a dirt track in OH that hosts the Camping World Truck Series, is helping with track prep at the event. No charges were filed in the incident, although Ward’s family has civil litigation pending against Stewart.