On Monday, drag racing fans that spent their Labor Day watching the NHRA U.S. Nationals on ESPN2 got a special treat.

In addition to the on track action, they got to see an off-track altercation between legendary NHRA champions John Force and Tony Pedregon.

Robert Hight, who’s car is owned by Force, beat his teammate and car owner in the semifinals which gave Hight the final spot in the Funny Car Countdown to 1 field, beating Cruz Pedregon.

Pedregon’s brother, Tony, confronted Force following the race at the top-end of the strip. The Pedregon’s claimed that Force had lifted and let Hight win so that all four of Force’s drivers would be in the playoffs. The two champions quickly became heated and NHRA officials had to separate them.

Now, Speedway Motorsports Inc. President Marcus Smith has decided to offer the pair an incentive to finish their disagreement on the track when the series comes to zMAX Dragway next week.

"This is high drama on drag racing's biggest stage," Smith said. "You have the two most successful drivers in Funny Car history pointing fingers at each other, both of them want one thing and that's to settle it on the quarter-mile. Well we're going to give them a high-stakes way to do just that right in front of the fans."

Smith is offering a $20,000 winner-take-all race between Force and Pedregon at the end of the first Pro day on September 18th.

"I'm a race fan at heart and after watching the U.S. Nationals at Indy, and the heated confrontation between John and Tony, I can say without a doubt that's the match up I want to see at the Carolinas Nationals," Smith said. "Those guys nearly came to blows. What better way to kickoff an exciting weekend than ending the first Pro day with a $20,000-to-win 'Grudge Match at zMAX' between those two champions?"

Tickets are still available for the September 17-20 NHRA Carolinas Nationals and can be purchased by calling the Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS or online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

MORE NASCAR NEWS