NASCAR penalized drivers John Wes Townley and Spencer Gallagher Wednesday for their roles in an widely publicized fight in Saturday night’s Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway Motorsports Park. NASCAR fined Townley $15,000 and assessed Gallagher a $12,500 fine. Both of the drivers have been placed on probation until the end of the year.
Saturday night with less than 10 laps to go, Gallagher and Townley spun together exiting turn 2. Both trucks hit the wall hard and were stuck together as they came to rest at the exit of the turn. Townley had spun at nearly the same spot earlier in the race but was able to continue. Replays during that first incident showed that his spin was the result of contact with Gallagher. The second time both trucks sustained heavy damage and were done for the night.
After several moments, both drivers climbed from their damaged machines and Townley could be seen confronting Gallagher. The two began to wrestle and Townley threw several punches. The confrontation continued with both drivers falling and grappling on the track for a few seconds before getting back to their feet while still locked together. Townley threw several more harmless punches then the two drivers both appeared to tire out. NASCAR officials then arrived on the scene and separated the drivers. The drivers rode in separate ambulances to the infield care center and were released. Neither commented on the incident but were summoned to the NASCAR hauler post race.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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