Every racer and fan knows that in the heat of competition emotions and adrenaline run high. We’ve all seen it, when a couple of drivers bump and bang and then it continues off track. But it’s one thing for racers to push and shove each other after an on track altercation, and completely another when they start running into each other with their cars. And that’s exactly what happened this past weekend at I-75 Raceway in Tennessee, and the driver in question has been charged with assault after crashing his car into the car of a competitor and throwing his crew to the ground.
You can watch the assault in the video below.
The driver, Greg Martin, was competing in the Best Plumber 604 Dirt Late Model Racing Series season opener at I-75 Raceway where he and driver Matt Henderson made contact in the main. Martin was pissed, and while Henderson’s car was being worked on in the pits, with crewmembers in and around it, Martin rammed it. The resulting damage to the car probably wasn’t much, but the crew people on the other side of the car were thrown to the ground. It was uncalled for and could have been much worse. Luckily both injured crew members were not seriously hurt.
Martin, 51, was disqualified from the event, arrested and charged with assault, and the series has suspended him for at least two years.
“Driver and crew safety is of the utmost importance to the Best Plumber 604 Racing Series,” series officials said in a statement. “All participants are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that protects the safety of competitors, crews, officials, fans and partner tracks” and it will “continue to uphold the standards of conduct expected at all series events.”
Henderson addressed the incident that led to the pit road run-in via Facebook, saying: “I bottomed out and hit Greg getting into turn one 3 laps after a restart. We had ran door to door for 3 laps so if my intention was to wreck him I wouldn’t have waited to do it for 3 laps. We hit as I bounced through the holes and it wrecked us. I hate that. Would rather have just got me. If Greg wanted to fight me or tell me how unhappy he was or anything to that degree I’d have understood it. No one wants that. So I get it. When he chose to use his race car to hit mine in a crowded pit area and injured people, that I can’t understand. That is not something that should ever happen.
“I apologize to my team for everything that happened. I hate mine and Greg’s car was torn up in the on track stuff and then further once he rammed them together in the pit area.
I am not asking for support of the on track incident or anyone to think that I blame him for that. I bottomed out and caused that accident. The running through the pits speeding to hit a car and assaulting guys with race cars has to be a hard line in the sand that we don’t allow to get crossed.”
“Thankfully no one was injured far worse. Stuff like that can head a completely different direction rather we mean for it to or not.”
So the question is, should Martin be charged with assault? Is the two year ban enough? Have you seen worse from drivers?
Let us know in the comments section below.
