WATCH: NASCAR pit crew brawls after drivers collide during Late Model race at Martinsville Speedway

Brawl at NASCAR event Martinsville speedway
NASCAR Late Model event at Martinsville Speedway (X: @NASCARRoots)

Tempers flared in a NASCAR Late Model event at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday (September 24), as an on-track collision involving two drivers descended into a brawl between the pit crews of the two drivers.

The half-mile oval in Virginia played host to the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 race, which is a part of the NASCAR Roots, regional events that are sanctioned by NASCAR.

According to roadandtrack.com, the fight broke out after the qualifying heat race 2, during which Connor Hall and Magnum Tate were involved in a restart incident. Hall initially blocked Tate on the inside, which made the latter's car go airborne for a few seconds before it came down on four wheels.

Following the touchdown, Tate was on a collision course with Hall's car and didn't hesitate to retaliate as both crashed out.

Although both the cars took significant damage Connor Hall completed the race. Following the end of the qualifying race, a fight broke out between the pit crews of the two drivers as they exchanged blows with the melee ending up on top of the #42 Late Model car driven by Chris Horton Jr, who was not involved in the incident.

Unfortunately, Horton Jr. ended up being the victim of the brawl, as he missed the final race along with Magnum Tate. Connor started the race and managed to take home a 32nd-place finish.

The fracas in the Late Model race at Martinsville Speedway has gone viral attracting the attention of the wider NASCAR community. The action-packed event concluded in a thrilling finish to the race as Trevor Ward beat Landon Huffman to a photo finish.


Former NASCAR driver reckons the next-gen car still has "some weak spots"

NASCAR's revolutionary next-gen cars are currently in their second year of existence with plenty of room for improvement. The first year of the new package highlighted various issues, as the governing body continued to tweak the cars upon receiving feedback.

NBC Analyst and former Cup Series driver Kyle Petty reckons NASCAR is heading in the right direction with the changes but highlighted the failure of the short-track aero package.

“I think this car, if they continue to do what they’re doing with this car, continue to be open to suggestions to tweak it, whether it be stiffness, whether it be aero, whatever, that they continue to stay open I think they’re heading in the right direction,” he said on the Kenny Wallace show.

He continued:

“I think there’s still some weak spots in it. I don’t think they’re short-track program, they don’t put on great short-track races. That’s not a good thing for this car. The Speedway stuff is always going to be whatever it is. As long as we run those, the engines and try to restrict them. That’s always going to be what it is.”

The next-gen car particularly suits the intermediate ovals but the short-track package seems to be heading nowhere as a recent test received mixed reactions from the drivers involved in the test.

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