New Video Shows Start of Tifft-VanMeter Confrontation at Glass City 200

New in-car video from the Glass City 200, shared with Liberty Racing Review by Eddie and Donna VanMeter, shows another angle of the post-race confrontation between Matt Tifft and Billy VanMeter.

The altercation, which resulted in penalties to both drivers as well as crew member Bryan Glaze, took place after the ASA STARS National Tour event at Toledo Speedway. Among the penalties, both Tifft and VanMeter were docked 25 points and placed on probation for the remainder of the year, while Glaze was suspended indefinitely by the series.

The video in question comes from inside VanMeter’s Super Late Model. In the clip, Matt Tifft approaches VanMeter and throws a punch at the driver before VanMeter’s crew intervenes.

The post-race altercation first came to light from a clip posted by Tifft on social media, showing an obstructed angle of the initial altercation between the two drivers before crew members intervened. This clip also shows Glaze kicking a downed Tifft in retaliation, an action which led to a suspension by the ASA STARS National Tour and to VanMeter's team parting ways with Glaze.

Both VanMeter and his father Eddie, a veteran racer in his own right, shared their side of the story with Liberty Racing Review as well.

“[Matt Tifft] is playing a card like he didn’t do anything to begin with,” Billy VanMeter told Liberty Racing Review. “I’m not saying what Bryan [Glaze] did was cool or the right thing to do, but I also didn’t go to [Tifft’s] pit box and beat him up.

“He’s calling me the worst person on earth, but I never swung back or anything. I didn’t even get a chance to talk to him really.”

VanMeter acknowledged his role in the on-track incident that raised Tifft's ire, ending his race on lap 48.

“I made some actions that weren’t smart, tried to push certain people out of the way and caused some things that I shouldn’t have," said VanMeter. "I did nothing different than what anyone else would do, I just tried too hard to do it.

“It’s gonna be really hard to go to the track because everybody’s gonna be staring at me like I’m the guy who let a guy kick someone in the face. And I’m sure people are going to treat me different, but you’re bound to get into something occasionally. Other drivers get into things and they just don’t blow up as bad as mine. Their teams sometimes handle it better than mine did.

“My apology is sincere. It may feel half-assed to people, but it was sincere. I genuinely do not appreciate what happened with everybody. I don’t really want to be known as this person. I never have and never will.”

Eddie VanMeter stated he completely understands if a fellow driver looks to have a conversation with his son after an on-track incident, but stood by his decision to defend his son once Tifft threw the first punch.

“I invite drivers to come down and talk to Billy and help him get better. When I tell him what he’s doing wrong, I’m just the asshole dad. But if they come down and tell him, he’ll listen to them. With Matt coming down, he swung at Billy and hit Billy first. When you come into a guy’s pit and you swing first, you don’t get to choose the outcome.”

“Tifft hit Billy, and I did hit Tifft. That was where the black eye came from, that was not from the kick. That was from me hitting him after he struck Billy. Obviously, Billy’s grown, but he’s still my baby and you’re not gonna put your hands on him.”

Tifft offered his response to the new video footage to Short Track Scene.

“I stand by what I’ve always said in that I confronted him,” Tifft told Short Track Scene. “And after that punch, I’m good with everything that happened up until I got kicked in the face.”