NASCAR found itself trending after the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway but it was not due to the electric finish between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. In fact, Larson himself got to watch the action while being interviewed by FOX Sports 1.
Noah Gragson walked up to Ross Chastain after the race to have a conversation with the Trackhouse Racing driver. Gragson put his hands on Chastain and chaos ensued. The driver of the No. 1 car connected on a punch to Gragson’s face and it was quickly broken up.
Many have speculated whether NASCAR would hand down any penalties for the fight on pit road and the answer to that question has been answered as Elton Sawyer, the sport’s Vice President of Competition, went on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday morning.
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NASCAR reveals outcome of the Ross Chastain/Noah Gragson fight at Kansas Speedway
Gragson was not a happy camper after showing lots of speed in his No. 42 Chevrolet on Sunday afternoon. The rookie NASCAR Cup Series driver found himself spinning down the backstretch due to a flat tire that ruined his day for a 29th-place finish.
This happened when Gragson got into the wall in Turn 4. Well, it wasn’t entirely of his own doing because Chastain went up the track without making contact and gave him little room. It was understandable to see Gragson mad but Chastain should feel like he didn’t do anything wrong.
In fact, other drivers, such as Chase Elliott, influenced Gragson to go beat up Chastain, according to the Legacy Motor Club driver. It then brought us to the pit road incident where the sport received attention from across the sports world.
Sawyer jumped on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday morning to talk about the incident and according to NASCAR radio host Claire B. Lang, he said that no penalties will come from the incident between Chastian and Gragson.
Quite frankly, it is the right decision because there is no reason to hand them penalties based on the circumstances. No one was seriously injured and neither party was fully responsible for the incidents on and off the track.
Both drivers represent what NASCAR needs moving forward. Gragson is arguably the best personality in NASCAR but he needs to have success to truly change the look of the sport. Meanwhile, Chastain has the reputation to do the same but he also needs to be winning more races.
It will be interesting to see how this story develops over time but one thing is clear moving forward. Chastain and Gragson will be seeing a lot of each other and this will likely be the first of many incidents to come.
In the meantime, whether you are watching it live or looking for how to watch NASCAR on TV or another streaming platform, Sportsnaut has you covered for the upcoming weekend at Darlington Raceway!