NASCAR fines Matt Crafton $25K, Nick Sanchez $5K for Talladega fight

NASCAR has revealed the punishment Nick Sanchez and Matt Crafton will face for their roles in a post-race altercation last weekend at Talladega.

After wrecking on the track, the duo got into a bit of a brawl in the garage area. There was a video captured at the end of the event, where Sanchez yelled threats towards Crafton with blood covering his face. Then, the NASCAR rookie driver claimed the three-time champion had “sucker punched” him.

While Crafton denied sucker-punching Sanchez, it was evident something serious went down, and now both drivers will face some serious repercussions, as announced on Tuesday.

“NASCAR competition officials issued behavioral penalties Tuesday to Craftsman Truck Series drivers Matt Crafton and Nick Sanchez for their roles in a post-race altercation last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway,” NASCAR reported. “Crafton, driver of the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Ford, was fined $25,000 for his actions in a fight after Saturday’s Love’s RV Stop 250. Sanchez, a rookie in the No. 2 Rev Racing Chevrolet, was fined $5,000.

“Sanchez’s father, Rene, was also penalized for his involvement in the fracas, with officials suspending him from NASCAR for the remaining two races on the 2023 schedule.”

After announcing the fines for the NASCAR Truck Series drivers, NASCAR VP of Competition Elton Sawyer explained on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio how they got to those numbers, first elaborating on why Crafton’s fine was higher.

“Matt had had some time to think about the situation,” Sawyer said. “It wasn’t like both drivers got out on pit road, heat of the battle, they go down and have a discussion with each other.

“This one spilled over into the garage sometime after the event, so felt like (it) could have been handled different, and that’s why Matt’s fine was at $25,000.”

As for Sanchez, it was more of his comments than his role in the altercation that’s going to take some money out of his bank account.

“We felt like some of the comments that were made by Nick, and we totally understand that’s in the heat of the battle, understanding the situation, but we just can’t have those type of comments,” added Sawyer. “That’s why he received the fine that he received.”

While the garage-area brawl is always exciting for the fans, NASCAR officials understandably don’t want it to happen. Tempers ran high at Talladega, and both drivers will pay for it, and NASCAR is hoping that’s the last we’ll hear of it moving forward.