NASCAR issued fines and warnings to teams and drivers Wednesday for infractions during last weekend’s events at Auto Club Speedway. The biggest fine went to Danica Patrick who was fined $20,000 and placed on NASCAR probation through the completion of the next four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Points Races. The fine was a result of her actions after a crash during Sunday’s race.
On lap 120 Sunday, Patrick was running 19th exiting turn four and was running low along the frontstretch when she moved in front of the No. 5 Chevy being driven by Kasey Kahne. The two made contact and Patrick’s Chevy was turned headlong into the wall. The car went airborne before coming to a stop low on the track. Patrick exited her car and walked back towards the track gesturing at Kahne as he passed by.
NASCAR has already prohibited a driver from such actions starting in 2014 after driver Tony Stewart hit a driver during a non-NASCAR race after the driver walked on the track to confront Stewart.
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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