NASCAR will look at Ambrose, Mears incident (Update)
 |
| Casey Mears |
Casey Mears didn't let a punch keep him away from a race Sunday morning. The driver of the #13 Chevy was in Huntersville, NC for a 5K race put on by the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. It came not long after the checkered flag fell in Saturday night's race at Richmond International Raceway. Mears finished 19th in that race, and left with a bruised left eye after a punch from fellow driver Marcos Ambrose.
"He got me pretty good with that shot." Mears told NASCAR.com after completing his 5K run. Mears wore sunglasses for most of Sunday's event, but it was clear the punch left a gnarly bruise and swollen left eye. Replays of the incident show Mears and Ambrose talking just after the race ended. The situation escalated when Mears forcefully shoved Ambrose. The driver of the #9 Ford then returned with a right hook to Mears' face.
On Sunday, Mears remained affable despite being on the wrong end of the punch. "One thing I can say is that out of all the NASCAR fights, when you see people swing it's usually a lot of fly-swatting," Mears said. "He actually connected, so that was pretty good." Mears said the bad blood began on the track while the two were battling for position. He didn't mention one specific incident, but conceded both drivers did things the other was not happy with. NASCAR.com
04/27/14 While the drama between the leaders was unfolding on the track and on pit road, #9-Marcos Ambrose and #13-Casey Mears were getting much more serious in the garage. Ambrose appeared to dive under Mears headed into the corner late in the race, putting them three-wide. Following the race, the two confronted each other in the garage and exchanged heated words. Those words turned into shoving, where Mears grabbed Ambrose and tried to push him away. Things quickly escalated to the point where Ambrose punched Mears in the face before crews got involved. NASCAR vice president of competition and racing development Robin Pemberton said following the race NASCAR would "take their time" reviewing the incident, but had yet to contact either Ambrose or Mears. Fox Sports