Fox Sports/Youtube

Casey Mears and Marcos Ambrose did not let the checkered flag signal the end of the action. The two drivers got into an altercation following the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond, and it resulted in punches being thrown from both sides.

brightcove.com/?flashVars='videoId=3511704002001

Motor Racing Network's Dustin Long has more from NASCAR official and vice president of competition Robin Pemberton:

Jeff Gluck of USA Today also described the action:

ESPN's Jamie Little noted how rare this incident is within NASCAR:

Meanwhile, Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports comically scores the winner:

The two drivers finished close together as Ambrose took 18th and Mears finished in 19th. However, it seemed like the two were more upset about what happened during the race. According to Sporting News, there was a bit of contact that occurred between the two:

This type of action is bound to create heated tempers, but this is usually limited to arguments and maybe thrown helmets. However, Ambrose took it to another level by actually throwing punches.

While it is unknown if NASCAR will take disciplinary action against these individuals, you can expect some sort of punishment for an incident that could end up being an embarrassment to the sport.

After the race, Ambrose sits in 16th place in the Sprint Cup Series Standings, while Mears is in 23rd. Although there is a lot of season left to make up ground, this is likely not what either competitor was hoping to see at this point in the year.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.