NASCAR has penalized Sammy Smith, Taylor Gray, and Jeb Burton after Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Martinsville, which attracted huge criticism from the sport’s veterans. Smith has been slapped with a reduction of 50 points for crashing into Gray in the last lap of the race, in addition to a massive fine of $25,000.
The Xfinity race saw a lot of chaos that will be remembered for a long time. However, the final lap incident was the highlight when Smith rear-ended race leader Gray in the last corner, compromising their positions. Austin Hill capitalized on the clash by finding a gap on the inside and went on to secure victory.
The incident involving Smith and Gray triggered a chain reaction, causing several cars to crash. Now, NASCAR has levied a penalty on Smith, Gray, and Burton. Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass posted on X:
“Sammy Smith docked 50 points for taking out Taylor Gray at end of Xfinity race at Martinsville. Fined $25K. Similar penalty (less $ because Xfinity) as Cindric at COTA. Taylor Gray & Jeb Burton fined $5K for going into care center area to confront drivers.”
Sammy Smith docked 50 points for taking out Taylor Gray at end of Xfinity race at Martinsville. Fined $25K. Similar penalty (less $ because Xfinity) as Cindric at COTA. Taylor Gray & Jeb Burton fined $5K for going into care center area to confront drivers.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 1, 2025
Gray was fined $5000 after he confronted Smith outside the infield care center, and tensions quickly escalated. Security intervened just in time to prevent a fight that could have made the situation worse. Burton was also fined a similar amount for his behavior outside the care center.
Newsweek Sports reported Smith’s statement after the incident. He said:
“I mean, absolutely, it was egregious. I mean, yeah, I’m not proud of that, but I mean, if roles were reversed, he would have done the same thing. He’s got no respect for me. I didn’t move him those first prior restarts and you know, he was flipping me off under the red flag, swerving at me, you know, it’s definitely uncalled for and I’m not proud of it, but he would have done the exact same thing, and that’s what I told him. You know, we’ll see what happens after that.”
He continued:
“I mean, it’s unfortunate, you know, he’s – if you’re not the one doing it, someone’s going to do it to you. Everyone’s gonna dog on me and I’m not proud of that but at the end of the day, it’s what you got to do. So, we’ll move on to Darlington.”
Despite the massive fine handed by NASCAR, it remains to be seen whether the clash between Smith and Gray escalates to a new level at Darlington.
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