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Sometimes, NASCAR can be a bad-tempered sport, and driver feuds are sometimes frequent. Bubba Wallace can attest to that when he fell prey to the red mist last year in Las Vegas. However, it isn’t just limited to the biggest stage in American motorsport, as it happens all the time in lower tiers as well. During the Southern All-Stars Series dirt race at the Southern Raceway in Florida, there was an ugly incident.

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As reported by Frontstretch, there was a major conflict between GR Smith and Ashton Winger. Owing to a series of unfortunate events, it all culminated in Winger being led away in cuffs by law enforcement. After watching the series of deliberate on-track collisions, NASCAR must be thankful that even though there are occasional brawls, they rarely escalate. Certainly not to the point where the police are forced to step in and break them up.

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What happened between the two drivers to have it end so spectacularly?

It all kicked off when the race began and Smith made hard contact with Winger at Turn 1. At the time, the two were battling for second place, and Winger was not about to take things lying down. He exacted his revenge with a cut-off slide job at turn 4 on the same lap, before slotting ahead. Smith retaliated by driving into Winger at turn 1 on the next lap. He then proceeded to ram into his rival under caution.

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After the race, an incensed Winger and his father engaged in a brawl with Smith. The primary instigator was the older Winger, and his son soon joined into the fray. All of this unfolded in the pit area and law enforcement stepped in and made arrests. In all, the two Wingers and one of Smith’s crew members, were led away in handcuffs.

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READ MORE: NASCAR Community Sad & Angry as “Chicken S**t” Move Lands Driver in Hospital

NASCAR fans were not impressed with the post-race antics

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Naturally, not many fans were happy with the ugly scenes playing out. Obviously, people laid some of the blame on Smith’s feet for instigating the on-track drama in the first place. However, they did not absolve Winger of any guilt. They were actually glad that the driver and his father were facing the consequences of their stunt. Even Smith’s crew member was hauled up and had to face the consequences.

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Of course, there were some who felt that the arrest was a little excessive. Especially since the brawl seemed a little tame to a few fans and the situation hadn’t escalated too badly. On the other end of the spectrum, the fans were not happy that there were very few repercussions for the on-track tomfoolery.

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WATCH THIS STORY: “Condolences to His Family”: NASCAR Community Continues to Show Support After Tragic Death of Ken Block; Ross Chastain, Kurt Busch, Corey LaJoie and Others React

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Dhruv George

14,832 Articles

Dhruv George is EssentiallySports’ foremost authority on motorsport and a founding member of the outlet’s NASCAR desk. A Journalism graduate fluent in English and French, he brings over eight years of motorsports journalism experience covering everything from high-octane NASCAR battles to the finesse of Formula 1 and MotoGP. His extensive paddock access has earned him exclusive interviews with top names such as Know more

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Nischal Kandpal

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