NASCAR reacts to the fight between Ross Chastain, Noah Gragson

Ross Chastain threw a punch after being grabbed by Noah Gragson at Kansas Speedway

On Sunday, Kansas Speedway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series. The race ended with drama on the pit lane between Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain.

Hear from NASCAR on the fight below.

During the race, Chastain crowded Gragson off turn four. Gragson was left no choice but to bounce off the outside wall.

At the time, Gragson was running near the top-10, aiming for his best finish so far this season. After the contact, Gragson spun with a flat tire, ending his chance at a finish on the lead lap.

After the race, Gragson walked over to Chastain to have a conversation. Things escalated quickly when Gragson grabbed Chastain’s firesuit.

Seconds later, Chastain threw a punch at Gragson’s head. NASCAR’s security team was already on the scene and stepped in immediately, blocking a return punch from Gragson.

Kansas Race Results: May 7, 2023 (NASCAR Cup Series)

NASCAR Fight: Ross Chastain vs Noah Gragson in Kansas (Video)

NASCAR comments on the Ross Chastain, Noah Gragson fight

NASCAR’s Sr VP of Competition commented on the altercation:

“We’ve looked at that, we’ve talked about it,” NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer stated via Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

“We’ll continue to have conversations with Ross and Noah. As we’ve said before, our sport’s an emotional sport.”

“Everybody’s on the edge. So, when you feel like your day hasn’t gone the way you hoped it would and someone may have impacted that. You’re not happy, you’re going to show your displeasure.”

“We’ll continue to have dialog with those two organizations to make sure we’re in a good place. But, thought that Noah and Ross both, it got to a level there that we would have preferred not to have seen.”

“It’s an emotional sport. From time to time you’re going to have disagreements and you’re going to see that.”

“We tell our officials to not get involved in that. If you look at the other crew members, both the No. 42 and the No. 1, they handled it extremely well. They didn’t get involved, they allowed the drivers to show their displeasure. Which is what we’d prefer to see.”

“Our security people did get involved. They’ll let them have their space, to be able to talk. But, as soon as it rises to a level, like it did on Sunday, they’re going to get involved and break it up.”

Penalties aren’t likely in this case. However, NASCAR typically announces penalties on Tuesday or Wednesday after an event.

Denny Hamlin reacts to Ross Chastain’s punch (Video)