WATCH: Joe Graf Jr, Gray Gaulding Brawl After Incident in NASCAR Xfinity Series Martinsville Race

Published 04/12/2021, 7:00 AM EDT

NASCAR is notorious for often witnessing drivers engage in fisticuffs. The recently concluded NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Martinsville Speedway was no different. Apparently, the latest fighters were Joe Graf Jr and Gray Gaulding. According to video footage, cameras picked up Gaulding lying on his back with Graf on top of him.

Many officials and team members tried to separate Graf and Gaulding and were eventually successful. According to Graf’s testimony, Gaulding “mouthed off” and that set off the fuse. Needless to say, Graf threw some punches and admitted that his opponent probably needed some ice packs.

Joe Graf Jr. vs. Gray Gaulding after the NASCAR Xfinity race in Martinsville. 😳 pic.twitter.com/nBCv7y0Pvg
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 11, 2021

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How did the incident between Gray Gaulding and Joe Graf Jr play out after the NASCAR Xfinity Series race?

Sometime during the 250-lap race, the two drivers collided with each other. In addition to that, poor old Blaine Perkins became an innocent victim when Graf Jr’s out-of-control car hit him. This effectively ended both their races, while Gaulding was somehow able to continue.

In the end, Gaulding finished in a lowly 21st place, much to Graf’s annoyance. A fuming Graf Jr said, “With about 75 laps to go, though, Gray just wrecked us and the 23, drove us off into the corner and just flat-out wrecked us and ended our day. I went to have words with him after the race and he mouthed off to me and there were some punches thrown. I landed a couple.”

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Meanwhile, Gaulding’s version of events found him walking back to the hauler. Suddenly, Joe Graf Jr stormed up to him and started swearing at him, enough to make a sailor blush. Safe to say, the driver found the scene highly amusing, which any made Graf Jr even more furious.

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Apparently, the source of Gaulding’s amusement was the fact that Graf Jr is very ‘awkward’. In fact, he did not know whether to take him seriously or not. So, when he started throwing punches, it caught Gaulding off guard.

MORE: WATCH: Michael Annett Slams into the Wall After Contact With Joe Graf Jr. at Bristol

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.