NASCAR: The 14 Greatest Moments Of Tony Stewart’s Career

12. Vs. Jeff Gordon, Watkins Glen, 2000

This wasn’t the first time that Stewart ever mixed it up with a driver early in his NASCAR career, but it was the first time he mixed it up with a driver of Gordon’s stature. After a second-lap accident that eliminated both drivers from contention at Watkins Glen in August of 2000, Stewart, then a sophomore on NASCAR’s premier level, wasn’t afraid to throw down with Gordon, then a three-time Winston Cup champion and current king of the NASCAR garage.

This incident was the first of many conflicts between the two over the years, including Bristol in March 2001 and Dover in June 2005. Both are on friendly terms now, but fans remember their early 00s’ rivalry with glee.