Here's the thing: tempers cool down awfully fast when the sanctioning body calls you into the hauler. Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. walked out of a Saturday morning at-track consultation with officials at Phoenix Raceway declaring their dispute settled and ready for the rearview mirror.
The pair sat down for a moderated meeting alongside competition directors at the 1-mile track. The sit-down came just six days after an ugly on-track get-together during the previous weekend's contest at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but both veterans insisted there is no lingering hostility as they prepare to jump right back into the action Sunday for the Freeway Insurance 500.
It’s fine. I mean, I think I got aggressive with him after the race. He did the same, and we talked it out,
“It went fine. I mean, Ricky and I talked after the race, and obviously we disagreed on the track, but afterwards, we figured it out,” McDowell told NASCAR.com. He added that there is no rising tension between them, while noting that NASCAR officials simply made it clear they draw the line at drivers running into each other and spinning rivals out under caution.
If you missed the fireworks last Sunday at Charlotte, it started as a late-race disagreement over running room and quickly escalated into a wild post-race bumping duel on the cool-down lap. Stenhouse steered his No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet right into McDowell's Spire Motorsports No. 71 Chevy on the backstretch, prompting McDowell to retaliate with a bump to the rear bumper followed by a shove to the left-rear fender that sent Stenhouse spinning.
A pointed yet largely civil chat followed on pit road while McDowell remained inside his machine, with Stenhouse pressing the issue by asking why his rival always races that way. Stenhouse later signaled his intent to move past the feud during a Wednesday appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, a stance he repeated after facing the officials.
“It’s fine. I mean, I think I got aggressive with him after the race. He did the same, and we talked it out,” Stenhouse told NASCAR.com. He noted he thought the matter was already settled before being called in to meet with officials, concluding that everything is all good now.
