NASCAR drivers Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell brawl during qualifying

NASCAR fans expected tensions to boil over between drivers at some point in 2019 during the polarizing group qualifying sessions under the new aero package, but no one could have predicted that Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell would be involved in the first fight of the season.

McDowell got in the way of Suarez while Suarez was trying to set a fast time in the first stage at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, and McDowell accused Suarez of trying to retaliate on the track. Both drivers were eliminated after the first stage, and when Suarez walked over to McDowell on pit road, a short fight broke out.

A fight broke out during qualifying at @ISMRaceway. 😳

Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell with emotions overflowing. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/d190n4xq70

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) March 8, 2019

Suarez tossed McDowell to the ground, and was then pinned to the hood of McDowell’s car. McDowell grabbed Suarez’s leg and tried to drag him off the car, but was unsuccessful.

that’s right Michael take off his shoe pic.twitter.com/ETBjR5rtNO

— Steve Luvender (@steveluvender) March 8, 2019

McDowell told reporters that he and Suarez don’t have a history of issues, and chalked up the incident to the heat of the moment.

“Don’t read too much into it. It’s just emotions, man.” McDowell said he and Suarez don’t have a history; in fact they went to a hockey game together last night. pic.twitter.com/7uaD6lgaUq

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 8, 2019

McDowell teammate @DavidRagan, speculating on the cause of the fight: “When you have a bunch of knucklehead drivers wait until there’s four minutes left and 30 cars haven’t run, that’s what you have.” (He included himself in that, saying he screwed up Kurt Busch’s lap.)

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 8, 2019