Tweet Fight: Marco Andretti vs Graham Rahal “The Chop” (UPDATE)

We all love a good sports rivalry, especially in motorsports.  Back in the day it was Bobby Rahal and Michael Andretti who had it out for eachother.  Today it looks like their sons are taking up the battle although this time its over twitter instead of in pit lane.  It started over the weekend during the Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach.  During a restart Marco had contact with Graham which sent Marco airborne then sideways into a barrier ripping the front end of his car apart and ending his weekend.  You can view the incident for yourself on YouTube HERE.

In a post-incident interview Marco said that he felt like he was “chopped” by Rahal.  Later, the Associated Press interviewed Graham Rahal about Marco’s claim that he was chopped.  Graham responded “What’s Marco’s last name? I’ve said enough” hinting that the Andretti’s are famous for complaining.

This set off a twitter battle the likes of which have never been seen before among race car drivers.

It started with Marco:

Marco’s tweet was shortly after the incident.  Later on when Grandpa Mario Andretti saw Graham’s AP quote he had this to say:

“Surprised” that the response came from Mario and not Marco Graham came back with something of a humble-insult (variation on humble-brag ftw):

Graham, sensing that this could esclate immediately tried to stomp the flames out saying he would not be drawn into a twitter argument:

Grandpa Mario then handedly responds to Grahams first question.  Which in essance kind of hints at Graham being a hypocrite (refusing to argue on twitter yet calling out Marco in the press):

Graham then attempts to block Mario’s backhand:

So far neither Bobby Rahal (Graham’s father) or Michael Andretti (Marco’s father) have gotten involved but this little spat could re-spawn the legendary Rahal-Andretti rivalry of old.

What do you guys think?  Is Graham a hypocrite for calling out and insulting all Andretti’s in the press but refusing to back up his comments on twitter?  Or are the Andretti’s attempting to make a mountain out of a mole-hill?

Furthermore after watching the on-track incident for yourself who do you feel was at fault for the contact?  It should be noted that Indy Car officials did not hand down a penalty to Graham or Marco for the dust up.

UPDATE: After reviewing the incident Indy Car has decided to put Graham Rahal on probation

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