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Mason Diaz And Conner Jones Fight After Wreck During South Carolina 400 at Florence

November 24, 2024  ·
  John Trent

Late Model Stock Car drivers Mason Diaz and Conner Jones got into a fight following a huge pileup during the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway.

Mason Diaz via Trenton Worsham on X

It’s unclear what happened that caused the wreck as FloRacing cut to a commercial break, but upon returning from it over half a dozen cars were stacked up at the entrance of turn 1 including Carson Loftin, Leland Honeyman, Johnathon Shafer, Mason Diaz, and Conner Jones.

Diaz was none too pleased with Jones. He exited his car and appears to tackle Jones to the pavement before track officials were able to pull him off.

Here’s a look from Taylor Kitchen’s angle in Turn 1:

Matt Weaver shared an angle from the infield:

Diaz’s night would be ended by the wreck and he shared with Matt Weaver what he saw from his vantage point and why he decided to fight Jones, “We were going down the front straightaway. There’s big smoke everywhere. I don’t know what spun up front and caused the wreck. Finding out now that I went down the middle, Conner just hooked me down the straightaway after we’re all slowing down. And that’s what put me in the wreck.”

He then shared, “Earlier in the race me and Conner had a little scuffle. It was me. I moved him. Got him loose. I let him gather it back up. I didn’t pass him. Just kind of respect like, ‘Oop! I didn’t mean to do it.’ I meant to get into him just not to the point of making him sideways and spinning him. So I let him gather it up, ‘Hey man, give you a couple more laps then I pass him the clean.’ Then the next caution came out and he came up and just under caution three cars behind just drove into my right front, knocked the toe out, ruined the fender. And then we went back green, raced him clean. He was outside of me. And then that stuff on the front stretch happened and spun out. It is what it is.”

When asked about what happened when he got out of the car, Diaz replied, “I was on the way of getting out, taking my helmet off and everything. And then I looked up, he was flicking me off, screaming cuss words at me. … And then I just got out of the car and he kept running his mouth and he had his helmet on still so tells you how scared he is. He can run it. It’s like a keyboard warrior kind of thing. He’s got protection on. It is what it is.”

When asked if he would talk to him, Diaz said, “What more does the kid need? Suspended from NASCAR. The list goes on and on and on. Every single person is probably happy that he got in a fight with somebody today because everyone wants to do it to him. I hate it for him. I don’t want to see anybody in a fight or be talked bad about. I want to see everyone do well. I don’t know what that kid needs to fix it.”

Diaz then concluded, “Just a couple loose screws in that kid.”

Diaz made similar comments while talking to Trenton Worsham. He said, “I moved him down in turn 4. I got him sideways pretty good. I backed off, let him gather it up, and then passed him like two laps later. I messed up. Obviously, I got into him pretty hard. And then under caution he just comes up and drives into my right front, knocks my fender off, and then he turns me in that wreck. And I was looking out the window, taking my helmet off once I’m wrecked, he’s there flicking me off, running his mouth. I get out of the car and he still wants to talk. Next time take the helmet off, buddy.”

He then added, “There’s no helping that kid. There’s screws loose. I mean look at his whole entire past. There’s no helping him. He knows all, right?”

Conner Jones’ Crew Chief Mike Darne shared his team’s side of the story, “Diaz got into us earlier and Conner kind of paid him back under caution. Then when the wreck happened there neither one of them were the cause of that. They were just in the middle of that. Conner pointed at him like he wasn’t happy with what he did down there. And then Mason come over the hood and a fight broke out. That’s all I saw.

What do you make of the fight between Diaz and Jones?

NEXT: Rumor: Dominion Raceway To Scrap Late Model Stock Car Division For 2025 Season

Author: John Trent