Dale Earnhardt Jr. on RIR contact with Tony Stewart: 'He hit me'
Another potentially solid outing for Tony Stewart came to an end late in Sunday's Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
Battling inside the top 10 with less than 50 laps remaining, Stewart got a run off Turn 4 and made contact with the left rear of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet.
The contact sent Stewart's car sliding down the track, with the three-time champion just barely making contact with the inside retaining wall. Despite no significant damage to the car, Stewart was forced to climb from his No. 14 Chevrolet when the motor would not crank.
Earnhardt was able to survive the incident and went on to finish 14th, but he was not particularly happy with Stewart afterward.
"You'll have to ask him, he hit me in the left rear quarter panel," Earnhardt said of the incident. "I was trying clear the 51 on the outside of me, so I was as high as I could go. You'll just have to ask him."
Finishing the day 41st, Stewart declined comment, but was seen throwing his helmet and HANS device into the No. 14 hauler before walking away angrily.
Recording his third DNF in the first nine races, Stewart continued his worst career start to a season. The former champion recorded his only top-10 finish of the season last weekend at Bristol, and has only finished better than 14th in two races this year.
