Joe Gibbs Racing’s Taylor Gray was upset when he collided with Christian Eckes after a NASCAR race, denying Gray a potential win and a fourth-place finish. That cost him his chance at a fourth championship.
The first 150 laps of the 200 lap race at Martinsville Speedway featured the typical tactical racing known by regular season standards. But with a playoff spot on the line, the intensity rose and the checkered flag went from friendly to overcast to busy.
Gray hopes to get the win he needs to advance as the No. 17 Toyota led the entire field.
However, Eckes’ aggressive effort on the final lap gave him the win, while Gray immediately dropped to fourth.
Eckes intentionally moved ahead of the pack to ride Gray’s bumper. He then gave Gray a bumper-to-bumper push to spin Gray’s truck, destroying Gray and clearing his way to the winner’s circle.
As the two trucks entered the pit lane, Gray ran toward Eckes amid a sea of pit crew members and cameras, yelling a fiery message and pointing.
The camera cuts to Eckes saying “I’m sorry” as he continues to scream unfiltered, but his apology didn’t convince Gray.
Gray was heard telling Eckes that he had a chance to return the favor, but chose a fair race rather than revenge. Then he put his hand on Eckes’ chest, pushed him hard and left.
“[Crew chief] Jeff Hensley had a great strategy and got him out with much fresher tires. I raced him very cleanly and he sent me to the fence [in laps 3 and 4]. That’s how he competed with everyone. Gray said after the Confrontation.
“He does this all year. That’s how Team Tricon’s Corey [Heim] races. That’s how he competes with everyone. But nobody cares because now he has won four races,” he continued.
Eckes said he had to race harder than he wanted, but he didn’t want to lose a race in which he led 187 laps. “I don’t want to compete that way, but at the same time I won’t accept to lose,” he said.
When asked if he plans to get revenge in the championship race at Phoenix, Gray addressed it correctly but had no answer. Although Eckes is competing for the championship, Gray made it clear that any sabotage would reflect poorly on his character.
Asked about revenge, he said: “No, I’ll look like a fool and I don’t want to be like that.” “I’ve made enough mistakes in my career and I’ve made enough. I’ve been trying to clean it up for the past few years. I raced him very cleanly here (rounds 1 and 2) and he took me out in round 3.”
