Why is it that some people would rather see you hurt in a horrific accident rather than let you overtake them?

5 minutes ago I was on my way home along a long but narrow-ish country road, travelling about 50mph (about 80kph). A tractor was turning left so the two cars behind it were almost stationary. I took the opportunity to overtake them while the rest of the road was clear. But as soon as I did... The 2nd car that I was going to overtake, a silver honda civic, put the pedal to the floor as fast as he could, producing a huge amount of black smoke, which indicates that his engine was working overtime. So, I slowed down (still on the opposite side of the road) but couldn't find a space right away. The other driver let me in but I can't believe that the other driver trapped me on the side of the road for oncoming traffic. What is it that people get so worked up about? If I were in the same position, I'd have no problem, go ahead and overtake me. But this guy... I just don't get it. I was stuck behind him the whole way back and he wasn't that good of a driver either.