DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR has placed drivers Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch on probation for the first six races of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, a result of their on-track altercations this past Friday during practice for the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona Int'l Speedway.
Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Toyota and Busch, driver of the No. 2 Dodge, violated Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing; altercation with another competitor) of the NASCAR rule book.
The two drivers were involved in an on-track incident that spilled over to a meeting with NASCAR officials in their hauler. There, Stewart reportedly punched Busch.
The probations start Wednesday (Feb. 13), as practice begins for the Daytona 500 at Daytona Int'l Speedway.