NASCAR places Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch on probation

NASCAR drivers Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart are on probation for six races, starting with Sunday's Daytona 500.

NASCAR places Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch on probation The two former NASCAR series champions, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch, were placed on probation for six races, starting with the Daytona 500 race. Busch and Stewart got tangled in a crash during Friday evening's practice when Stewart hit Busch from behind on the backstretch, causing Busch's No. 2 Dodge to smack the wall. Stewart's car dipped down the banking and sideswiped Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin. According to NASCAR the probation is a result solely from the on-track portion of their clash, when the drivers deliberately used their cars as battering rams. Stewart and Busch took the altercation further into the NASCAR officials' trailer with a heated exchange of words and an alleged punch from Stewart.

Tony Stewart remains one of the favorite to win the Daytona 500, listed with odds 5/1 at the online sportsbook Bodog Sports. The odds on Kurt Busch are sitting at 12/1.

Published on 02/12/2008