NASCAR is at its best when the drivers are allowed to have a “boys have it” approach to handling conflict, but there are still lines that drawn in the sand that should not be crossed.
One of those is hitting a fellow driver at speed under caution, which is exactly what Zane Smith did to Carson Hocevar at the conclusion of Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
NASCAR fined Smith $50,000 on Tuesday.
NASCAR penalizes Zane Smith after Phoenix
Smith has a history with Hocevar. The two tangled at Chicagoland on July 5 and were given a talking-to in the NASCAR hauler the following week.