Much like golf, a lot of folks don't consider racing automobiles a sport. It's considered more of a leisure activity, to some. Yeah, tell that to the guys and gals going triple-digit speeds and using all their might to get through a day of G-forces.
There's a reason why these drivers are in top physical form. They have to be.
Now when you put anyone in a competitive atmosphere where supreme concentration, mental and physical fatigue runs rampant, and millisecond victories are the norm, flare ups will happen. And in a sport where there is significant risk of loss of life, you can only expect more tension.
It's just the nature of the beast. Saturday night's incident with Kevin Ward Jr. and Tony Stewart is just one of the latest.
Don't believe me? Just hit the rewind button and check out some clips from some of racing's greatest fights on and off the track.
A good question, though: Should fights during races be nipped in the bud? A lot of people have written off Ward Jr.'s actions as merely "tradition," however, it's pretty clear it was bad decision making that played a part in his death. Perhaps it's time to take this WWE-like element off the track...
What say you, Spies?
Here is the best road rage moment in sports racing (cart, nascar, f1).