CHARLOTTE, N.C. • NASCAR on Tuesday fined Matt Crafton $25,000 for punching fellow driver Nick Sanchez following the Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Sanchez was fined $5,000 and his father, Rene, was suspended for the remaining two races of the Truck Series season for getting involved. Rene Sanchez was fined for throwing a punch during the melee.

Sanchez believed the three-time Truck Series champion broke his nose when Crafton “sucker punched” him postrace Saturday in the Talladega garage. A video of the altercation begins when Sanchez was already bloodied and on the ground, where he was restrained from retaliating by a team member.

Crafton was only seen briefly in the video and appeared to be in street clothes, not his driver uniform.

NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that officials considered suspending Crafton because “Matt had had some time to think about the situation. 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.”

They ultimately decided on the fine. Sawyer said Sanchez was fined because of “some of the comments that were made by Nick.” Sanchez could be heard in the video shouting toward Crafton: “I’m going to (expletive) kill you at Homestead! You (expletive) with the wrong guy!”

“We totally understand that’s in the heat of the battle, understanding the situation, but we just can’t have those type of comments. That’s why he received the fine that he received,” Sawyer said.

In a lengthy social media post Sunday, Crafton said Sanchez threatened him when he confronted him in the garage.

“First, let’s address the “sucker punch.” Before the cameras started rolling I approached Nick and said “hey” when he turned around I said “what the —?!” to which he looked right at me and threatened me,” Crafton wrote over six posts on X, formerly Twitter.

“That is when it all went to hell. I had his attention, words were exchanged, all before anything physical took place, so I did not “sucker punch” the guy,” Crafton continued. “There may not be video, but there were plenty of eye witnesses.”

“There is a consistent pattern of certain drivers having a lack of respect on the track, and it was time for someone to say something.”

“Anything that doesn’t pertain to bettering myself as a race car driver or winning doesn’t deserve my energy or focus and never will,” Sanchez added. “I look forward to continuing my quest for the championship in Miami.”

Cup Series to Iowa for the first time

NEWTON, IOWA • NASCAR announced Tuesday that it will finally bring its top Cup Series to Iowa for the first time.

Cup Series drivers will race at Iowa Speedway in Newton in June 2024, a weekend that will also include the second-tier Xfinity Series at the track about a forty-minute drive east of Des Moines.

“Today’s announcement is a triumph for incredible race fans around the world,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president for racing development and strategy. “They have long sought a NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, and we’re happy to finally deliver that for them.”

NASCAR has held Xfinity and Truck series races at the 0.875-mile oval but none since 2019. Iowa Speedway has hosted IndyCar Series races for years, since it first opened in 2006. The NASCAR-owned track lists a 30,000 capacity.

Rusty Wallace, a former Cup series champion who designed the speedway, and former Cup champion Brad Keselowski were in attendance at the announcement outside of the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. Keselowski said he’s been “pestering” NASCAR leaders to bring the Cup Series to Iowa, calling the speedway “one of the best tracks” in the country and next year’s race one of the “can’t miss” events of 2024.

Gov. Kim Reynolds applauded the addition of Iowa to the schedule, saying Iowa has “worked so hard over the years to establish itself as a racing destination.” Reynolds noted the economic boost to the state from a Cup series event.