NASCAR drivers Noah Gragson and Daniel Hemric exchanged blows on pit road Saturday after the Xfinity Series race at Atlanta — the result of an earlier pit road altercation between their two cars.
Hemric confronted Gragson after the race for backing into the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on pit road. Hemric had to pull into Gragson’s stall to avoid a car blocking his own pit box. After Hemric backed into his own stall, Gragson entered his with his No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and backed into the nose of Hemric’s Supra as crew members scattered.
NASCAR.com had an exclusive ringside seat for the brawl.
Take a look at this exclusive angle of the altercation between @DanielHemric and @NoahGragson. pic.twitter.com/Y0B14hCrx5
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) March 21, 2021
"I got a hole in the nose of my car, and he got popped in the eye, so I’d say we're in good shape," Hemric said after the combatants were separated and had a chance to cool down.
"I'd be mad if I was in his shoes, too, just based off what he’s done in his career, but it is what it is and we’ll move on and keep on fighting," Gragson said, per NASCAR.com.
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The sparring continued on Twitter after the fight.
The middle finger you gave me out the window was a pretty clear indication to me that you knew exactly what your intent was. Thanks for posting the facts @NoahGragson 👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/xIXq5oC9ZH
— Daniel Hemric (@DanielHemric) March 21, 2021
Gragson finished fourth in the race. Hemric finished ninth.
Reid Spencer writes for the NASCAR Wire Service. SN's Tom Gatto contributed to this report.