NASCAR fines Keselowski, Stewart for Charlotte incident

Oct 14, 2014 - 11:40 PM Daytona Beach, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - NASCAR handed down fines to Sprint Cup Series drivers Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart for their involvement in post- race incidents in last Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Keselowski, who is one of the 12 drivers remaining in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, received a $50,000 fine. Stewart, who's not in the Chase, was fined $25,000. In addition, each driver was placed on probation for the next four races (Talladega, Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix). Their probation period will end prior to the Nov. 16 season-finale at Homestead.

According to a news release from NASCAR on Tuesday, Keselowski, the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, and Stewart, who is behind the wheel of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, were penalized for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing) and Section 12-4.9 (Behavioral penalty - involved in a post-race incident) of the NASCAR rule book.

After the final restart with just two laps to go, Denny Hamlin and Keselowski had tangled multiple times while battling for position. Keselowski then retaliated against Hamlin by bumping him from behind and attempting to spin him out during the cool-down lap.

Keselowski also ran into the back of Matt Kenseth, who is Hamlin's teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, as they were driving onto pit road after the race had concluded. Keselowski continued his antics on pit road by hitting the rear of Stewart's car, but Stewart retaliated by putting it in reverse and slamming into the front of Keselowski's vehicle.

While race winner Kevin Harvick was celebrating in Charlotte's Victory Lane, the garage area became chaotic with Hamlin having to be restrained from going after Keselowski and then Kenseth fighting with Keselowski between a pair of Team Penske haulers.

When Keselowski had walked away from his altercation with Hamlin and was between the haulers, Kenseth came running out of nowhere and managed to put Keselowski in a headlock before Kenseth's team members were able to pull him away.

Neither Hamlin nor Kenseth were penalized for their post-race actions at Charlotte.

"These penalties are about maintaining a safe environment following the race," Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's senior vice president of competition and racing development, said in a statement. "We knew that the new Chase format was likely going to raise the intensity level, and we want our drivers to continue to be themselves. However, the safety of our drivers, crew members, officials, and workers is paramount and we will react when that safety could be compromised."

Three weeks ago, a grand jury exonerated Stewart of any wrongdoing in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. during an accident in the Aug. 9 sprint car race at a dirt track in Upstate New York. Stewart missed three Sprint Cup races while he was in seclusion after he had struck and killed 20-year-old Ward.