Stewart flagged for not weighing in

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Saturday, February 14, 2015

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart opened Speedweeks with a weighty -- and heated -- issue.

Stewart was visibly upset Friday as he stormed through the garage after getting black flagged for failing to step on a scale before getting behind the wheel.

Stewart was one of 25 drivers practicing for Saturday night's exhibition Sprint Unlimited, but one of just three who didn't weigh in before the session started. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch also had to return to the scale after getting in their cars.

Stewart didn't heed the initial call.

NASCAR eventually flagged Stewart, ordering him back to the garage to get weighed. But he refused, and when he did finally park his car after his practice run ended, Stewart and crew chief Chad Johnston were called to the NASCAR hauler for what likely was a stern lecture about following the rules.

They emerged 10 minutes later, and Stewart headed straight for the scale.

Stewart refused to answer questions about what happened on the track and in the hauler, but was overheard telling teammate Kevin Harvick's crew that he was called in because he didn't weigh in and didn't heed the black flag.

He later took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with NASCAR:

Each driver is required to step on the scale so the minimum car weights can be calculated. Heavier drivers, like Stewart, can have slightly lighter cars.

Stewart's spotter, Bob Jeffrey, weighed in on Twitter, posting "In my 35+yrs that was a 1st."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.