A member of NASCAR driver Joey Logano’s crew has been suspended for this weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway for his involvement in an altercation between Logano and Denny Hamlin at Martinsville on Sunday.
Team Penske tire specialist Dave Nichols Jr. was seen knocking Joe Gibbs Racing driver Hamlin down as he charged at Logano. The defending NASCAR Cup champion had just shoved Hamlin at the end of a discussion the two were having about contact between their two cars late in the race.
(Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
Nichols was found to be in violation of a NASCAR behavioral guideline that addresses “member-to-member confrontation with physical violence,” the series said.
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“I think everybody’s crews try and protect their driver, and I think generally what we try and do is separate guys,” Joe Gibbs said. “But we all know emotion runs high. It’s a sport that brings a lot of intensity to the racetrack. Everything you put into this, and if you see somebody do something to you that you think goes against what’s best for you, there’s going to be a price to pay for that.
“I just think it is emotion. It’s part of our sport.”
Hamlin and Logano are second and fourth in the series standings and in championship contention with three races to go in the season.
