Clint Bowyer wasn’t happy with Erik Jones’ blocking on the final lap in Saturday night’s Cup race at Kansas Speedway.
Jones, who was second at the time, was on the high line and cut down to the bottom to block Bowyer on the final lap. Bowyer shot to the top and Jones went up to block him.
Jones fell to third to tie his season-best finish. Bowyer finished fifth.
Bowyer responded to Jones’ action by hitting the back of Jones’ car on the cool-down lap and then went to Jones’ car on pit road.
“That was dumb on his part,” Bowyer told Fox Sports 1 of Jones’ blocking. “I guess that’s what he wants, wreck in front of the field. When you’ve got a run like that, you just don’t move up. I should have wrecked him, I guess.’’
Bowyer, who has never won a Cup race at his home track, later said: “That pisses me off.”
Jones told FS1 he was defending his spot.
“I think it was just racing,” he said. “We were racing hard. This package really kind of leads into a lot of blocking and protecting your position. We’re taking the white flag. I’m not going to give up a lane to give up two, three, four spots.”
Jones later said: “I’d be mad if I was him, but it’s just racing. I’ve been blocked a lot, especially with this package and I haven’t done a lot of blocking, so you have to get aggressive and fight for every position. That’s all I was doing at the end of the race. We were taking the white flag and you’re going for it. It’s unfortunate. You don’t want people upset, but feelings are going to get hurt and you’ll move on and we’ll be fine next week.”
