Matt Crafton breaks silence on his bloody confrontation with Nick Sanchez, claims the Rev Racing driver ‘threatened him’

Nick Sanchez is the only rookie to be in the Playoffs in 2023.

Matt Crafton breaks silence on his bloody confrontation with Nick Sanchez, claims the Rev Racing driver ‘threatened him’

Matt Crafton (Via IMAGO)

The Truck Series’ third last race was held at Talladega on Saturday. The race was filled with drama to the brim. The day’s highlight, though, was Matt Crafton’s post-race brawl with Nick Sanchez. The altercation, which ended with Crafton punching Sanchez in the face, came as a result of Sanchez making contact with Crafton in the race while pushing to compensate for a mid-race penalty.  Post-race, Crafton took it to X to give his side of the story.

Crafton made it clear that he did not ‘sucker punch’ Sanchez. He said that he had initially approached Sanchez and called out to him before the cameras started recording. He said that they had a talk before he punched him. Crafton claimed that Sanchez ‘sucker punched’ him first on the race track at 200mph. He said that Sanchez showed a lack of respect by his aggressive driving, and he felt it was his responsibility to say something.

YouTube video

“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. There were plenty of eye witnesses… If a man looks at me and threatens me, I am going to react. Especially when tempers are already flared from being wrecked on the track,” Crafton posted on X.

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Crafton finished the race on P24, while Sanchez was on P7. In his tweet, he also apologized to his team and sponsors for his raging outburst. After Talladega, Sanchez sits fourth in the standings, while Crafton is in ninth.

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The on-track incident which led to the fight between Matt Crafton and Nick Sanchez

Tempers flared high at Talladega after an intense race. Nick Sanchez left the track with a bloodied face, courtesy of Matt Crafton. Crafton was enraged after the race due to an on-track collision between the two drivers, which led to a multi-car wreck and had a major negative impact on Crafton’s race.

Nick Sanchez post-race at Talladega
Nick Sanchez post-race at Talladega (Credits: Whiskey Riff)

Sanchez, still in title contention, took an aggressive approach to the race. On lap 93, Sanchez tried to force his way up in a three-wide situation. The move ended up with his front touching against the rear of Crafton while exiting Turn Four. Crafton then pulled up his damaged truck into Sanchez’s team stall and left it there. After the race finished, Crafton finally confronted Sanchez.

NASCAR officials are still investigating the incident. While Sanchez was seen with a face full of blood, he assured the fans that he wouldn’t need any stitches and did not have a major injury. With just two races remaining, Sanchez will have to shrug off the incident and solely focus on the remainder of the season.

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