NASCAR driver PUNISHED after almost coming to blows with rival

NASCAR has announced a penalty for Taylor Gray after he and rival Sammy Smith almost came to blows at Martinsville on Saturday.

Gray was leading Saturday's Xfinity Series race heading into the final turn at Martinsville Speedway, with Sammy Smith in second. However, Smith was not content with this and decided to intentionally slam into the back of his rival, taking both drivers out of contention for the win and causing carnage as cars attempted to cross the start-finish line.

After the race, Gray was clearly furious and went to find Smith to have it out with him, with footage emerging of the pair having to be held back by numerous security outside of the infield medical center after the race.

Now, NASCAR has announced a financial punishment for Gray, fining the driver $5,000, with officials noting violations of infield care center conduct.

NASCAR fine Taylor Gray after Martinsville violation

Despite the pair almost coming to blows outside of the medical center, it appears that the fine could be related to a confrontation that occurred inside the care center, which no cameras captured.

However, that was the explanation given by NASCAR’s Managing Director of Racing Communications Mike Forde when explaining the decision, with Jeb Burton - another driver who was caught up in the wreck - also fined for his conduct.

"Taylor and Jeb were in the care center post-race and there was some behavior that (NASCAR officials) felt stepped over the line as far as interrupting a medical situation,” Forde explained on the Hauler Talk podcast.

“The care center is almost an on-site hospital, so the drivers and any competitor that enters that area, there should be a sense of decorum there.”

It is unclear whether or not the above incident occurred before or after the heated exchange that took place outside of the care center.

Sammy Smith was fined a total of $25,000 for his part in Saturday's wreck and also docked 50 driver points.

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