NASCAR driver Andrew Grady attacked opponent Davey Callihan through the window of Callihan’s car after an accident knocked both drivers out of a race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on Saturday.
Grady claimed that Callihan flipped him off before the altercation, while his opponent denied the action.
We've got tempers boiling over at @MartinsvilleSwy
Andrew Grady takes out his frustration on Davey Callihan after an accident in Heat 1@FloRacing pic.twitter.com/DeBkUQ27Xy
— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) September 24, 2022
“I mean, he wasn’t close. He dive-bombed me. He hooked me, and I wanted to talk to him and he flipped me off. So I started Mike Tysoning his head,” Grady said in a video after the incident.
“You’re in a big-boy sport. When you wreck a man, you can take a grown-man ass whipping. That’s how I feel about it,” he added during the interview.
Andrew Grady says Davey Callihan flipped him off when he went to talk so he decided to 'Mike Tyson his head.'
He says there are dumbasses who have no business driving a Lawn Mower much less a Late Model at Martinsville.
Says that Callihan wrecked him and Brandon Pierce. pic.twitter.com/X1m99JRYOj
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) September 24, 2022
Callihan offered a different take on the exchange in a response provided to the Daily Mail.
“It was for a transfer position at Martinsville. From my perspective, I was there. It was close. But you can’t give an inch for the transfer spot when there’s 95 cars and I had to take it. It was just hard racing. I do apologize to (Grady), but we’re fighting for our life out there so I just did what I had to do,” he said.
“I never flipped anybody off. He just comes starts punching me inside the race car, so… I understand he’s frustrated, but again it’s for the transfer spot and we were just fighting for our life,” Callihan added.
A longer version of the video shows Grady pointing at Callihan as he drove by before the fight, clearly upset over being out of the race.
Funniest thing…so far from the sports weekend…NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series in Martinsville,VA Andrew Grady and David Callihan get into it. @LeBatardShow @billygil pic.twitter.com/DjwyrcQ4S8
— Curtis Sheehan (@ChillinwitCurt) September 25, 2022
Grady’s punches led to the video going viral, with social media sounding off on what should be done following the attack.
“He should [be] suspended permanently as a nascar driver,” one user tweeted.
He should suspended permanently as a nascar driver
— Save Democracy (@GarryResists) September 24, 2022
Another user pointed out that Callihan could barely move from within his car, putting him at a tremendous disadvantage from Grady’s punches.
“That wasn’t a fight it was an assault. The other driver can barely move in there,” he wrote.
“This sport was made on fights. We should have more fights. I like fights,” another tweet said in contrast.
That wasn’t a fight it was an assault. The other driver can barely move in there
— Mike in Jax (@bourquin_mike) September 24, 2022
Some also saw a comparison with NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer’s punchout against Ryan Newman after the All-Star Race in 2019.
He took lessons from Bowyer pic.twitter.com/lo4hpBXt5T
— Joshua A4lami (@joshua_afolami) September 24, 2022