Tempers flare in chaotic Carteret Clash

SWANSBORO, NC – Saturday night’s chaotic SMART Modified Tour Carteret Clash led to two separate on-track altercations at the tight confines of Carteret County Speedway.

The most notable incident of the race took place on lap 14 when Jonny Kievman spun off Joey Coulter’s front bumper, ending his night.  When the race was red flagged for cleanup, Kievman sprinted onto the frontstretch where the cars were parked and began beating Coulter’s windshield with his HANS device.

“Joey Coulter just divebomed me getting into three,” Kievman told Short Track Scene.  “He didn’t have position.  He wasn’t there.  He wasn’t even close to there.  He just turned us and backed us in the fence for no good reason on about lap 15.  Killed our car, we had a really good car.  I was actually working the guys in front of me looking for a way around them, and instead of him racing, I can’t even use the vocabulary I’d like to use, he chose to show a lack of talent on how to pass somebody.”

Kievman hit the windshield of Coulter’s car repeatedly until he was run off by series officials and crew members.  Coulter’s windshield sustained cracks but he was able to continue after series officials inspected the damage.  He went on to finish fourth.

“I was there,” Coulter explained.  “The first time I got there, he chopped me.  The second time I was there, I was even farther there and he either didn’t know I was there or didn’t care and got turned around and then got mad about it.”

Kievman felt Coulter did not need the windshield.

“I was just explaining to him that, obviously he can’t see so he doesn’t need a windshield, so I was trying to solve that problem for him,” Kievman said.  “Maybe it would’ve fallen out, he might’ve been able to actually see what was in front of him instead of run into it.”

Coulter responded by simply saying he does not have time for Kievman’s actions.

“I’ve raced dirt for a long time, but I don’t have time for people like that,” Coulter remarked.  “I’ve been racing a long time and, I mean, I’ve got a four-year-old that doesn’t throw temper tantrums like that.  I don’t have time for it and my guys don’t deserve that on their racecar.”

Penalties could be issued in the coming days, as racetracks and series have cracked down on drivers running onto a racetrack to confront other drivers in recent years.  SMART Modified Tour operator Chris Williams confirmed to Short Track Scene via text that the incident would be reviewed.

A separate altercation took place after the race when Jeremy Gerstner threw a water bottle at series rookie and championship contender Paulie Hartwig.

Gerstner, who had a challenging day at Coastal Plains on Friday stemming from mechanical problems in qualifying, had been running inside the top-five in the closing stages of Saturday’s Carteret Clash.  With 17 laps to go, his night would come to end when he spun off Hartwig’s front bumper battling for fourth.

“The kid, I get it, he’s a kid, but you don’t drive people like a dick coming from the back,” Gerstner stated.  “He had a good car.  We were just a tick, waiting to get our tire.  He gets inside me, so I gave him the bottom and he just drove me right up in the fence so hard that he snapped my tie-rod.

“He’s trying to chase a championship,” Gerstner continued.  “It’s not going to look good for him.  I’ve got five cars.  If he wants to play games, I got the 55 in there next week at Caraway.  It’s just total bullshit.  He ran me over last night every fucking lap, now he wants to run me up into the wall.  I think we had a third place car, maybe a winning car if we would’ve got a tire.”

Hartwig, who ended up finishing third, felt he had the position on Gertner and a faster car.

“He definitely burned his stuff up,” Hartwig said.  “He just came down on my right front and spun himself out.  I think he needed that caution because he burned it up, so yeah.  If he wants to throw a water bottle, I mean, that’s pretty dumb for yourself.  I know I’m 14 and he can’t fight me.  We talked just before the race, ‘if I have to let you go, then let me go.  I know I didn’t wreck him.  I know he came down on me so he just wrecked himself.”

Luke Baldwin scored the victory in the Carteret Clash over older brother Jack Baldwin.