MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Competitors and former racers criticized how drivers raced in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Martinsville Speedway.
Austin Hill went from fifth to first on the final corner when the leaders wrecked to claim the overtime win in a race that saw 40% of the laps run under caution and several cars wrecked at the finish.
Sammy Smith ran into the back of leader Taylor Gray’s car in Turn 3 of the final lap, sending Gray up the track and triggering a multi-car crash that allowed Hill to slip by on the inside to win.
Smith and Gray had to be restrained after the race outside the infield care center.
“He has no respect for me,” Smith said of Gray. “We’ve raced hard and had issues in the past. He would have done the same thing. He would have moved me if I was in the lead. That’s what you have to do. If you don’t do that, you’re going to be the one getting run over.
“I know everyone is going be mad and upset at me and say I’m a dirty driver, but I don’t care because everybody does it. If I was just going to accept it and finish second that wasn’t going to sit well with me.”
#NASCAR … Sammy Smith on what Taylor Gray said to him after Martinsville Xfinity finish: “He said he wants to go at it. We can go at it if he wants.” pic.twitter.com/bMvj7oGkyT
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) March 30, 2025
Cup driver Denny Hamlin criticized the racing and called for NASCAR to step in during the race. Hamlin wrote on social media that “Martinsville is a track that could use a (sic) “avoidable contact” penalty. He also wrote on social media: “God I wish I were in the (TV) booth. Id (sic) get fired but I damn sure would call these idiots out.”
Former driver Jeff Burton wrote on social media during the race: “Some of these guys needed to have the experience of ...
