LONG POND — Denny Hamlin hardly had to use his rearview mirror at Pocono Raceway, where no one was ever close enough to catch him.

But if Hamlin had taken a peek, he might have gotten a glimpse of the chaos unfolding behind him.

Tony Stewart tangled with Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards, leading to aggressive driving penalties for Stewart and Edwards and hot tempers all over the garage. It all overshadowed Hamlin's season sweep at Pocono.

"Covering drama is more exciting than covering the race anymore," quipped second-place finisher Kurt Busch.

That was never more true than Sunday, with Edwards threatening to beat up Stewart and a seething Bowyer actually seeking out the NASCAR champion before he was intercepted on pit road.

Stewart, meanwhile, was pining for the days when the late Dale Earnhardt policed the garage and kept order on the track.

It began very early in the race when Bowyer pinched Stewart into the wall. Stewart responded with a wave out his window, then his own bump of Bowyer's car. It sent Bowyer spinning into Carl Edwards and earned Stewart a one-lap penalty for aggressive driving.

A furious Edwards later drove alongside Stewart and raised his arms as if to ask "what was that about?" and Stewart responded with a one-fingered salute that infuriated Edwards. He spun Stewart out on pit road to earn his own penalty, and vowed over his radio to fight Stewart after the race.