MARTINSVILLE, Va. — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Matt Mills said Friday he’s feeling much better after a fire at Homestead-Miami Speedway last weekend and hasn’t spoken to rival Conner Jones since running at the track.
Mills was taken to a local hospital after crashing in last Saturday’s Truck Series race, and Neice Motorsports said he was being treated for smoke inhalation. Mills spent two nights at Jackson South Medical Center in Miami, where he said Mills was being held for further evaluation until his oxygen level improved. He was later cleared by NASCAR officials to return to racing after his release on Monday.
“I feel better every day,” said Mills, a 27-year-old Virginia native in his first full season in Al Neice’s organization. “It’s five times better, so it’s great to be able to make such quick progress this week. I would like to thank everyone at Jackson South Hospital in Miami, the NASCAR medical team and everyone who supported me throughout the process. ” It helped me progress quickly during the week and made me feel better and more normal. It’s definitely been a recovery process, but I went to the gym last night and everything was great. I’m ready to get back in this race car and leave it all behind.”
NASCAR officials gave Jones a two-lap penalty in Saturday’s Baptist Health 200 and suspended him for one race in Wednesday’s penalty report. Former series champion Johnny Sauter replaces Jones in the ThorSport Racing No. 66 Ford Buy Now Pay Later Friday Night Zip 250 (6 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) Martinsville Speedway.
Jones, 18, did not speak to reporters after Saturday’s race at Homestead and apologized for his actions on social media later that day. Mills said Jones contacted her by text and phone, but he did not respond to Jones’ messages.
“It’s been a tough week physically and mentally,” Mills said. “I was tired at the hospital. It may sound dramatic, but it took a lot of effort to come back to reality and feel normal again. It’s been a very busy week with all the safety gear replaced etc. He contacted me because he needed to replace a lot of parts, but since it’s so recent and it’s been such a busy week, I don’t think I’ll be able to talk to him properly about everything, so I think we could talk to him soon. But this week I will focus on getting back on track and listening to all my doctors. So if you feel like you can talk about it properly, you can talk about it again, but I just want to move on.”
When the No. 66 of Jones slid in front of the No. 1 Chevrolet. 42 of Mills, Mills described the contact that led to the crash as “just a racing transaction.” Mills said he heard Jones take his foot off the accelerator to follow him and that his supervisor warned him of retaliation.
Mills went faster into Turn 3 but “seemed determined to catch me,” he said.After the incident, Jones sent an angry radio message indicating that he had been hit several times during the season. Mills said she was unaware of a history of trouble between the two, saying she wasn’t sure “if it was directed at me or everyone.” When asked if he thought it was justified or appropriate to stop a race, Mills said he hoped it would have an impact on the bigger picture.
“I’m not a vindictive person and I don’t think it should really be seen as punishment or revenge,” Mills said. “I think Conner is talented and I think that should be taken as a lesson that cannot be taught in our sport, especially on a fast track. So I don’t want to say, “Oh, I’m glad he got what he got…” I don’t think about it. I’m just a good, quiet kid who keeps to himself and I’m not a vindictive person. So I hope it’s a lesson or an eye opener for him. You can’t do that to kids who grow up playing sports. We are professional drivers. We listen every time we go to the track and that’s how we approach it, whether it’s a race team we want to stay with or a team we want to move to the Xfinity, Cup Series. “People are watching us, so I think it’s a lesson.”
