NASCAR Was Entertaining, Bizarre Last Night

Fistfights on the track, drivers flipping officials off, flying car parts crashing into skyboxes, and monkeys. Not just another night at Texas Motor Speedway. Monkeys!

Yes, monkeys. Spectators should have known they were in for an interesting day when they showed up only to find a pair of Capuchin monkeys selling programs.

The track's owner made the comment that "trained monkeys" could sell programs. TMS President Eddie Gossage called his bluff, even though the monkeys spent more time ripping up programs for fun than handing them to paying customers.

Kyle Busch was flagged for speeding on pit row in lap 162, and shared his thoughts with NASCAR officials. That's a 2-lap penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, a rule I didn't even realize existed in NASCAR.

Thirty laps later, Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon bumped on a caution lap. Burton said later he was trying to catch up to Gordon to apologize for an earlier run-in, but regardless, Gordon wasn't happy and the two exchanged words, then swings.

But the evening came to a fitting close when Sam Hornish Jr.'s car, just after crossing the finish line, lost a brake pad that flew more than 100 feet, crashing through an eighth-story Skybox window.

Still hot from the vehicle, the pad burned a hole in the Speedway Club carpet. Gregoire said one of the men "was holding his chest" and another man had glass lodged in his throat.

Don't worry. Everyone's fine. Except the monkeys might be slightly traumatized.