Harvick Finally Waxes Stewart

Last Sunday during the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick slid up the track and accidentally spun Tony Stewart into the wall with only two scheduled laps remaining in the race. The incident took Stewart out of contention for the win after having led the most laps on the day, and it also let Harvick’s RCR teammate Jeff Burton past him, essentially ending his hopes for a run at the checkers as well. As many fans might recall, this wasn’t the first time that the two friends have gotten tangled up with one another on the track, as Stewart took out Harvick at the Brickyard 400 last August, also when they were both battling for an opportunity to win that race.

“I thought I gave him plenty of room. I mean, I was so far ahead of him, I couldn’t even see his car. I’m sure somehow it was my fault,” was Stewart’s reaction following the race. Tony’s comments were likely in large part a reflection of the fact that he’s been criticized over the years for his aggressive behavior on the track.

In post-race interviews, Harvick seemed to be willing to admit fault for the altercation, but more or less chalked it up to being a racing incident, and didn’t feel as though it was something that needed to be dwelled on for very long, despite the fact that the wreck sent Stewart’s spotter into an outrage. Harvick acknowledged the spotter’s actions and made a comment to the effect that the two friends didn’t need some idiotic spotters blowing the situation out of proportion. Nonetheless, the entire scene did manage to turn quite a few heads, as Harvick himself hasn’t exactly been shy to on-track drama during his career, either.

So, what happens when two of racing’s most notorious hot-headed drivers mix it up on NASCAR’s most ill-tempered track?  The answer to this question and a whole lot more was revealed on Monday during Tony’s talk show on Sirius radio.

Last year, Stewart agreed to have his back waxed on-air if anyone donated $100,000 to the Victory Junction Camp. Once the money was raised, Sirius offered to have Harvick and Matt Yocum fill in for Tony as co-hosts of the show, which they did. The show was actually the first time that the two drivers had the opportunity to speak with one another since their on-track incident. So, they started the show off by appropriately recapping the race at Bristol, and both drivers apparently came out of the conversation with a level of satisfaction.

Once the recapping was done with, the show picked up with several callers pledging money for the cause, including JGR President JD Gibbs and two-time defending Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson. Stewart reluctantly mounted the table, and the waxing commenced as the audience of his close friends and co-workers erupted in laughter. On-hand along with Tony, Kevin, and Matt were the likes of Austin Perry (representing the VJC),  Ford Martin (Sirius’ National Motorsports Correspondant), Gil Martin (Crew Chief for the 07 Chevy), and DeLana (Harvick’s wife). Once the waxing stopped and Stewart finally quit screaming, Harvick presented a check for $100,000 to the Victory Junction Camp on behalf of Kevin Harvick, Inc.

This is definitely one twisted way to let bygones be bygones and move on with their friendship. Probably wouldn’t have been my first approach, but, hey … to each his own. Perhaps next time Stewart will consider reconciling his future debacles over the phone.