Watch: When Tony Stewart threw helmet at Matt Kenseth's moving Ford during 2012 Bristol race

With the Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway just around the corner, NASCAR remembered the time when Tony Stewart flung his helmet at Matt Kenseth's No. 17 Fusion Ford. Stewart and Kenseth were battling for the lead in the Irwin Tools Night Race at the Tennesseean short track oval 10 years ago.

On lap 332, Stewart and Kenseth traded blows. In an attempt to pass one another, both drivers went straight into the inside wall. Kenseth was relegated back to 27th while Stewart had to settle for a P28 finish.

After having dismounted his car, Stewart took off his helmet and threw it at Kenseth, who was still driving. According to Bleacher Report, Stewart's wrath was upset with Kenseth's blocking strategy moments before they tangled.

Here is the video (via NASCAR) of the squabble between the veteran racers:

In an interview with Jeff Owens of The Sporting News, Stewart said,

"I checked up twice (off the gas) to not run over him (Kenseth) and I learned my lesson there. I’m going to run over him every him every chance I’ve got from now until the end of the year, every chance I’ve got."

"We got by Matt there, and it probably wasn’t the ideal pass, but we made sure to try the same thing (every time). We ran on the restart faster than him each lap, so we just learned our lesson that next time just drive through him, not even be patient by him. We’re not going to give him that chance again," he added.

Tony Stewart was ninth in points at the time, while Matt Kenseth was second. Brad Keselowski, who used to drive the No. 2 Team Penske Ford back then, won the Cup Series championship. Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson rounded up the top-3 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings (via ESPN).

Tony Stewart thrilled to represent Mahindra in upcoming NHRA Carolina Nationals

NHRA top fuel driver Tony Stewart during qualifying for the Pep Boys Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway (Source: Imagn)

Mahindra Ag North America joined hands with Tony Stewart Racing as the primary sponsor for two key races this year and is slated to remain an associate partner with the team for the rest of the season. In this weekend's NHRA Carolina Nationals at the zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina, Stewart will represent Mahindra in the Top Fuel category.

Mahindra has been a close ally of Stewart since their 2022 partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing, a NASCAR Cup Series team co-owned by Stewart.

"I’m really passionate about our great relationship with Mahindra," said the NHRA Top Fuel rookie. "Obviously, Charlotte is a home track for us because of our NASCAR ties. Hopefully, we’ll have a good run for them this weekend. 30 years is a big deal for any company, so to be able to represent them and support them in that, it’s a big deal for us."

Tony Stewart currently sits seventh in the Top Fuel point standings, 94 points behind leader Justin Ashley.

Nitro Qualifying sessions 1 and 2 will begin on Friday at 5 PM and 7:30 PM, respectively. Qualifying sessions 3 and 4 will start the following day at 1:30 PM and 4 PM, respectively. The elimination rounds (12 PM, 2:10 PM), semifinals (3:50 PM), and finals (5:30 PM) will take place on Sunday, September 22. All races will steam, live on NHRA.TV.