NASCAR has penalized Sammy Smith 50 points and fined him $25,000 for wrecking Taylor Gray from the lead on the final lap of last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
The penalty drops Smith from sixth in the points to 13th in the points heading into Saturday’s race at Darlington Raceway.
Smith turned Gray’s car entering Turn 3 last weekend at Martinsville and triggered a multi-car crash as the field came to the finish line.
“I thought he would have done the same to me,” Smith said after the race. “He 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 that everyone is going to 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 today, then that just wasn’t going to set well with me.”
