During Saturday’s EchoPark 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Noah Gragson was extremely unhappy with Daniel Hemric over Hemric having to go into his pit box to back into his.
He decided to take his frustrations out during a round of pitstops by backing into the nose of Hemric’s car, forcing Hemric’s crew to get out of the way.
The biggest moment happened when Gragson was giving a post-race interview and Hemric came over to confront him. Hemric attempted to try and tackle Gragson, but Gragson broke out of it and threw a punch at Hemric.
Both crews got involved as several more punches were thrown before they were finally separated.
“When I pulled into my box, we had a guy who went to leave at the same time in the box behind us. And it created (for) me to have to go long, pull in the No. 9 box, and back up,” Hemric told FOX Sports. “I guess he was oblivious to what was going on and what my situation was, so by the time the No. 9 got in his box he crammed it in reverse and purposely drove the back of his car through the front of my Supra.
“He punched a hole in the nose of our Supra, and where I come from, you get punched in the eye for that … There’s a hole in the nose of my car, and he got popped in the eye. Where I stand from, we’re in pretty good shape.”
“I don’t know why he’s mad,” said Gragson. “We were behind him coming onto pit road because we chorded our right front tire, and then he was in our pit box. I had to come around him, and I’m not really sure why he was there, but (I) had to back up and get there. … I’d be mad if I was in his shoes too. Just based off what he’s done in his career.”
Gragson would go on to finish fourth and Hemric ninth.
