The Best Plumber 604 Racing Series gave a Tennessee dirt late model racer a minimum two-year suspension over the weekend for an incident in the pits. Authorities also reportedly arrested him and charged him with aggravated assault. The incident occurred in the infield of the feature race at 1-75 Raceway in Sweetwater on Saturday night.
According to a FloRacing report, late model drivers Greg Martin and Matt Henderson collided during the race. After the crash, an upset Martin struck Henderson’s car at a slow speed while crew members serviced it in the infield pit area.
Video of the incident shows that the impact knocked two crew members who were working on the other side of the vehicle backward and to the ground. At least one crew member reportedly required medical attention.
Following the incident, the Best Plumber 604 Racing Series wrote in a statement that Martin was disqualified from the event and suspended for a minimum of two years.
“All participants are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that protects the safety of competitors, crews, officials, fans and partner tracks,” the series added.
The driver who was rammed addressed the incident
While Martin declined comment when contacted Sunday night by DirtonDirt, Henderson addressed the incident on Facebook.
“I bottomed out and hit Greg getting into turn one 3 laps after a restart,” he wrote. “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.
Henderson went on to apologize to his team “for everything that happened,” adding, “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.”