Matt Crafton Publicly Blasts Nick Sanchez as He Vehemently Denies “Sucker Punch” Allegations

Confrontations are nothing out of the ordinary in NASCAR. Intense races will have tight encounters and big crashes, so it is quite common for tempers to flare. But things got a bit too extreme last weekend at Talladega in the Truck Series. Matt Crafton and Nick Sanchez came to blows, and the latter was left a bloody mess after the altercation. Crafton has been subject to a lot of criticism ever since. The veteran recently came out on social media to justify his actions and go on a tirade against Sanchez.

It was a scary scene in the garage after the Truck Series race at Talladega. Nick Sanchez and Matt Crafton had to be pulled apart. As the duo were restrained by their respective crew members, both drivers screamed profanities at one another. The 22-year-old Sanchez was at fault for the on-track accident. But the 47-year-old Crafton was the one who lost his cool, which is why he was on the receiving end of fans’ criticisms.

Matt Crafton makes his case after being “threatened” by Nick Sanchez

A video doing the rounds of social media showed the 22-year-old’s face covered in blood as he was dragged away from Matt Crafton. Anyone watching the video would instantly lay the blame on the 47-year-old, but as per the ThorSport Racing driver, he was the one who was threatened first.

Crafton took to Twitter to clarify his side of the story. The 47-year-old said that after the two had come face-to-face in the garage, it was Nick Sanchez who “threatened” him. As a result, the veteran racer had enough and decided to teach a lesson to the 22-year-old.

“Here is what wasn’t caught on video… First, let’s address the “sucker punch.” Before the cameras started rolling I approached Nick and said “hey” When he turned around I said “What the —?!” to which he looked right at me and threatened me,” Crafton tweeted.

“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 may not be video, but there were plenty of eyewitnesses,” he added.

It is no wonder that Matt Crafton was annoyed at his much younger on-track competitor. The 47-year-old could not finish the race due to the collision, whereas Nick Sanchez finished in a decent P7. Perhaps that result made things all the more infuriating for Crafton. Add that to the allegation that Sanchez threatened him in the garage, and you can see why the veteran lost his cool.

Still, he promptly apologized for his actions on Twitter. “I apologize to my team, my sponsors and partners, my family, and the NASCAR community for the negativity and for taking attention away from a good day of racing at Talladega,” Crafton tweeted.

While Matt Crafton explained his side of the story on Twitter, it’s quite different from what Nick Sanchez had said after the whole incident at Talladega. According to the 22-year-old, Crafton took a cheap shot at him.

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Sanchez’s story is far from Crafton’s version

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After the race was over and things had cooled down in the garages, Sanchez was asked about the whole fight and how it came to that point. His answer is probably something Matt Crafton would not have enjoyed hearing.

Yeah, I mean, I was walking back to the hauler tapping my back, and got punched in the face. Cheap shot, but it is what it is I guess. Yeah, I’m all for fighting but you know, no cheap shots. I got a cheap shot, and never really had a chance to get him back but it is what it is. It’s a part of racing,“ the 22-year-old said calmly.

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The next Truck Series race will be held at Homestead-Miami and the Nick Sanchez-Matt Crafton saga will undoubtedly continue on. As they were fighting, Sanchez said, in an explicit manner, that he would take care of Crafton at Homestead. Tensions could boil over in Miami and NASCAR fans may be witness to another scary altercation between the two.