NASCAR Penalizes Marcos Ambrose and Casey Mears

Following their post-race scuffle at Richmond International Raceway, both Casey Mears and Marcos Ambrose were penalized.

Ambrose was fined $25,000 and placed on probation till May 28^th, while Mears was fined $15,000 and placed on probation till May 28^th. Per NASCAR, both drivers violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing), and 12-4.9 (Behavioral Penalty; involved in an altercation in the garage area after the race) per the rulebook.

The pair made contact on track while racing for the 19^th position, and as a result, confronted each other post-race. Things got heated as Mears gave Ambrose a shove, before Ambrose landed a punch to Mears.

Looking back on the weekend, some people believed that Ambrose would be suspended as Jimmy Spencer was when he punched Kurt Busch at Indianapolis before. However, NASCAR has since begun penalizing less and less for driver confrontations as part of their ‘boys, have at it’ policy. With only minimal fines compared to what could’ve been handed down, you may see more drivers take out their anger.