NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon has been fined $100,000, docked 25 points, and placed on probation for the remainder of the season after Sunday’s wreck at the Phoenix International Raceway, according to The Associated Press. On what was suppose to be the final lap of the race, Mr. Gordon intentionally slowed his car and waited for Clint  Bowyer on the track so he could wreck him. The AP reports that there had been some contact between the two drivers earlier in the race.

”I take responsibility for my actions on the racetrack,” Mr. Gordon said in a statement about intentionally wrecking Mr. Bowyer and the fines that NASCAR imposed on him. ”I accept NASCAR’s decision and look forward to ending the season on a high note at Homestead.”

The Gordon wreck led to a fight in the garage area between the two drivers’ crews.

While $100,000 is unlikely to severely impact Mr. Gordon’s pocketbook (as the driver earns an annual salary of $22 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth), the loss of 25 points is likely to significantly impact his participation in Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

ESPN noted that the Gordon wreck drops the driver to 11th in the standings. One place shy of the top 10, Mr. Gordon is in jeopardy of not being allowed to attend the champions’ banquet on December 30 in Las Vegas.

Despite the harshness of the penalties imposed on Mr. Gordon and his team, NASCAR feels that its response to the Gordon wreck was “appropriate.”

“There’s no doubt that a unique set of circumstances combined with a championship battle on the line resulted in raw emotions coming into play,” NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton said in a statement about the Gordon wreck. “We consider the penalties appropriate and those involved understand our decision and we expect them to abide by them.”

The fines and penalties weren’t limited to Mr. Gordon and his team after Sunday’s wreck. According to Yahoo! Sports, NASCAR also penalized Brian Pattie, Mr. Bowyer’s crew chief, $25,000 for his inability to keep his crew in line. Mr. Gordon’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, was put on probation for the rest of the season.

Yahoo! Sports pointed out that the Gordon wreck could have resulted in a suspension for the driver but the star doesn’t have a “long track record of flaunting both authority and his fellow drivers.” Therefore, the sports news source said, NASCAR placed him on probation.