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Crafton, Sanchez fined by NASCAR over Talladega altercation
Matt Crafton and Nick Sanchez have both been fined by NASCAR after a physical altercation in the garage at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.
Crafton was fined $25,000 for his actions, which included punching Sanchez. The two had made contact on the racetrack, which ended Crafton’s race on lap 91.
After parking in Sanchez’s pit stall and exchanging words with the No. 2 team, Crafton left pit road and was in street clothes when Sanchez made it back to the garage after finishing the race. Sanchez claimed he was sucker punched by Crafton.
Sanchez was fined $5,000. In videos of the altercation, Sanchez, who needed to go to the infield care center for a bloodied face, can be heard saying to Crafton that he was going to “kill you at Homestead.”
Rene Sanchez, Nick’s father, has been suspended for the remainder of the season for his role in the altercation.
Additionally, NASCAR has fined Chandler Smith $10,000 for a safety violation in Cup Series qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway. Smith removed the required head sock before making his qualifying lap.
Kelly Crandall
Kelly has been on the NASCAR beat full-time since 2013, and joined RACER as chief NASCAR writer in 2017. Her work has also appeared in NASCAR.com, the NASCAR Illustrated magazine, and NBC Sports. A corporate communications graduate from Central Penn College, Crandall is a two-time George Cunningham Writer of the Year recipient from the National Motorsports Press Association.
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