Rookie Takes On Veteran In NASCAR Talladega Fight

A post-race fight at Talladega is getting more attention than the Craftsman Truck Series race that preceded it. Video of bloodied rookie Nick Sanchez has spread like wildfire after he and Matt Crafton got into it both during and after the race.

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In the footage, which was shared to X (the social media network formerly known as Twitter) by Frontstretch, we see Sanchez held back as he screams an expletive-filled rant about getting even with Crafton. The veteran racer seemed unphased, commenting about how he would deal with Sanchez at the next race at Homestead, also using some creative expletives.

EXCLUSIVE: @Nicksanchez080 involved in a post race fight after Talladega. #NASCAR #NASCARPlayoffs

📹@WyattGametime pic.twitter.com/3qy3RxDH4Y

— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) September 30, 2023

This is the kind of drama that honestly gets a lot of people tuning in to watch NASCAR races. While that might not be what officials like or even want, it’s the truth.

As noted by numerous reports, the whole dust-up between Crafton and Sanchez started during the first overtime of the Love’s RV Stop 250. Nick Sanchez, who has a shot at the championship as a rookie (something that’s ruffled the feathers of certain veterans), clipped Crafton’s rear bumper, spinning him out in the pack for a huge crash, another thing many find exciting in NASCAR races.

The red flag is displayed on Lap 93 for this incident in the @TALLADEGA tri-oval. pic.twitter.com/Pal0OybjMu

— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) September 30, 2023

Sanchez claims that after the race as he was walking in the garage area Crafton tapped him on the back. When he turned around, the rookie says Crafton punched him in the face, calling the move a “cheap shot.” In a post-race interview, Sanchez said he’s “all for fighting, but no cheap shots” noting that he “never really had a chance to get him back.”

Crafton said via X that he didn’t sucker punch Sanchez, saying instead that the rookie basically “sucker punched” him on the track. He then claimed “certain drivers” have a pattern of misbehavior and acting disrespectfully on the track, so “it was time for someone to say something.” But in the same thread he admitted that “tempers (were) flared from being wrecked on the track.”

Here is what wasn’t caught on video…

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.

1/6

— Matt Crafton (@Matt_Crafton) October 1, 2023

Whose side are you on with this incident: Crafton or Sanchez? Or are you just here to enjoy the drama?

Images via X