The reportedly drunk heckler who drew Tony Stewart’s ire at the Chili Bowl nationals last night, prompting the NASCAR star to angrily confront him in the stands is a Tulsa County sheriff’s deputy according to an update today by the Tulsa World.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department identified the fan as Corporal Kyle Hess, while a Tulsa deputy police chief described the incident thusly:

“We had a race fan that probably had too much beer from my observations after speaking with him,” said Tulsa Deputy Police Chief and Expo Square Liaison officer Dennis Larson. “He kept taunting Tony Stewart as Tony would pass by. Tony came up to the stands and decided to have a discussion with him on why he did not like him.” “From what I was told Tony stated to him (the spectator), ‘What’s your problem with me’,” Larson said. “At some point their hands were locked together. The fan pushed toward Tony, Tony stepped back and a security guard basically stepped between the two and just made a motion and the fan, who had consumed a lot of alcohol, sat down.


Sheriff’s office investigators are looking into the incident.

[Tulsa World]

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