Tensions at Talladega boiled over off track after a Truck Series crash escalated to bloodied death threats.
“I’m gonna f*cking kill you…”
Three laps from the finish Saturday during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race from Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, drivers vying for an advantage setoff a cascade of collisions that brought the event to an early end for some. One racer unable to finish was Matt Crafton, featured prominently in the wreck, who was said to have triggered a different kind of pile up in the garage area after a “cheap shot” scored him threats of violence.
Video shared by Frontstretch captured the end of an altercation between Crafton and a bloodied Nick Sanchez who had to be held back as others endeavored to keep the drivers apart.
As he was restrained, championship contender Sanchez was heard shouting at Crafton while pointing his finger, “I’m gonna f*cking kill you in Homestead. You f*cked with the wrong guy, motherf*cker.”
Referencing the upcoming Homestead-Miami Speedway race Crafton, who drives the number 88 truck, shouted back, “I’ll whip your a**. I got you at Homestead, b*tch.”
EXCLUSIVE: @Nicksanchez080 involved in a post race fight after Talladega. #NASCAR #NASCARPlayoffs
@WyattGametime pic.twitter.com/3qy3RxDH4Y
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) September 30, 2023
Speaking with reporters after the incident, and with his bloodied nose reportedly glued, Sanchez explained that Crafton had initiated the conflict in something of a surprise altercation.
“I was walking back to the hauler; tapped on my back; got punched in the face,” he detailed. “Cheap shot, but it is what it is I guess. I’m all for fighting, but, you know, no cheap shots. I got a cheap shot. Never really had a chance to get him back but, it is what it is. It’s a part of racing.”
Nick Sanchez out of the care center, here’s what he had to say. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/A3L3bDRXDx
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) September 30, 2023
Video from the race showed as Crafton’s vehicle moved toward a gap in the tight pack of racers where Frontstretch reported the nose of Sanchez’s truck had been. As a result, the 88 truck was set to sideswipe Bret Holmes in the 32 truck setting off other collisions as drivers attempted to get out of the way.
Nick Sanchez and Matt Crafton trigger a big crash coming to two to go at Talladega: https://t.co/IzEq3m4FXM pic.twitter.com/LBQrLRJYrr
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 30, 2023
“I was doing my best to stay tight on the bottom lane. Tried to go get split three-wide. We came up off of [turn] 2,” explained Sanchez. “I went to the top lane and I held my line, came back down. [I] tried to get out of there, but I got him in the left rear a little bit, but [that’s] plate racing, trying to hold my position to protect myself.”
Unlike Crafton who was unable to complete the course and placed in 24th for the day, Sanchez managed to eke out seventh allowing him to place fourth in the overall standings.
After leading for 22 laps, Bret Moffitt driving the 34 truck walked away with first place at the Love’s RV Stop 250, his first victory at superspeedway.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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