NASCAR made correct decision with Zane Smith punishment after Carson Hocevar incident

Smith and Hocevar made contact late in Sunday's race, and while Smith was told that Hocevar was pushed into him, he did not care and retaliated after the checkered flag anyway. 

Not only did Smith cost himself $50,000 two days later, but he also cost his team by damaging an otherwise relatively clean race car. There's also a risk in hitting a driver with such speed disparity in NASCAR's Next-Gen car, which is a stiffer car than prior generations and has contributed to several major injuries suffered by drivers over the years. 

Drivers should be allowed to handle disputes themselves, but when disputes cross the line into driver safety, NASCAR has to draw a clear line and did so by punishing Smith on Tuesday.