Racing star under attack after 'weaponising' race car in revenge crash

11:17, 20 Jul 2025

A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.

Dirt racing star Bob Gardner has come under heavy criticism following a controversial series of incidents during a MARS Late Model dirt track race in the United States.

Bob Gardner Under Fire After Controversial Dirt Track Incident

The American driver’s actions have sparked outrage among fans, with many calling for severe penalties, and some even suggesting legal consequences.

The controversy began when Daryn Klein attempted a slide job on Gardner coming out of a corner. Klein failed to fully clear the move, riding up onto the hood of Gardner’s car and sending him into Dylan Thornton.

After the initial contact, Gardner returned to the track in a highly dangerous manner, steering right and effectively driving against the flow of traffic.

Race control immediately threw a caution to avoid a potential high-speed head-on collision, with the rest of the field carefully making their way past Gardner’s stationary No. 4 car.

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However, the situation escalated further. Gardner cut across the infield to rejoin ahead of the pack, slotting in just behind Klein’s No. 10 car. He then forced Klein towards the outside barriers before making contact again.

As Klein attempted to accelerate away, Gardner hooked the nose of his car underneath Klein’s, lifting the No. 10 and flipping it onto its roof.

Fortunately, the relatively low speed of the incident meant that Klein escaped serious injury. Officials quickly black-flagged Gardner, with the message “No. 4 team, you are done for the night,” broadcast over the circuit tannoy.

Reaction among fans was overwhelmingly negative. Many took to social media demanding a lengthy suspension, while others went as far as to call for Gardner’s arrest, citing the deliberate nature of his actions.

Series officials have yet to confirm what penalties, if any, will follow, but the incident has already been described as one of the most reckless in recent dirt racing memory.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	156
2	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	90
3	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	88
4	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	75
5	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	60
6	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	58
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	43
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	29
9	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	26
10	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	26
11	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
12	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	15
13	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	13
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
15	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
17	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
18	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	1
19	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
20	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
21	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Racing star under attack after 'weaponising' race car in revenge crash

Bob Gardner Under Fire After Controversial Dirt Track Incident

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'Send Gardner to prison!'

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