Kyle Busch, Joey Logano nor any of their respective crew members will be penalized for their involvement in a post-race fight Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR announced Wednesday.
Busch and Logano were racing for the third position on the final lap of the Kobalt 400 when Logano slid up the track into Busch, who proceeded to spin off Turn 4 and down pit road. An upset Busch waited for Logano to circle around and park on pit road where he then walked down to where Logano was standing and threw a punch at Logano, whose crew quickly interceded and wrestled Busch to the ground. NASCAR officials broke the scrum with one official forcefully removing Busch, who has a cut on his forehead, from the hog pile.
NASCAR’s stance on drivers involved in off-track altercations has varied over the years. Marcos Ambrose was fined $25,000 for punching Casey Mears after a Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway in 2014, while neither Brad Keselowski nor Jeff Gordon were penalized for their involvement in a post-race melee later that season at Texas Motor Speedway. And last year, John Wes Townley and Spencer Gallagher were fined for a fight during a Truck Series race, while Cole Custer escaped penalty after tackling John Hunter Nemechek following a race later in the season.
"After a full review of multiple videos and discussions with both competitors and their respective race teams, we felt Sunday's post-race incident does not warrant any further action," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. "NASCAR was built on the racing that took place on the final lap by two drivers battling for position. The emotions of our athletes run high, and Kyle Busch and Joey Logano are two of the most passionate and competitive drivers in the sport.”
NASCAR will meet with both drivers Friday prior to practice at Phoenix International Raceway, site of Sunday’s Monster Energy Cup Series race, to ensure there is carryover from Las Vegas.