The 20-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing star, driving the No. 54 Toyota, was inches away from his first Xfinity Series victory after six top ten finishes in 19 races over two years when Sammy Smith slammed into him on the final lap, spinning him out and sending Austin Hill to the checkered flag. The drama didn’t end at the finish line, as Gray stormed to the infield care center, ready to square off with Smith. Things got heated as Smith taunted him by saying, “come at me,” while Gray let his frustration out and earned himself a $5,000 fine.
Smith was penalized worse by NASCAR, who docked him $25,000 and 50 points—a punishment that JR Motorsports will not contest. Smith’s maneuver was criticized by Kevin Harvick, who called it “one of the most blatant, ridiculous things I’ve seen a guy do in a racecar in a long time.” Insiders and fans described it as “complete chaos,” and it was mentioned that NASCAR had to take action whether or not there were any rules. The fire is still raging days later. At the moment,
Taylor Gray is not in the mood to answer calls from Sammy Smith
Gray is sort of maintaining his composure. He respects Smith’s team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., too much to go on a destructive rampage. He stated on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “I respect [JR Motorsports] too much to start destroying their cars just to make a point.” “I think I’d be telling you a different story if Sammy owned and maintained his own car.” “He’s displaying a level of maturity beyond his 20 years,” Toby Christie said, praising his restraint. But Gray isn’t trying to hide how devastated he is. After the race, he admitted, “I was pretty hot, and I don’t think that’s going away anytime soon.” Apparently, it’s worth offending someone beyond forgiveness in order to ruin their chances of winning. “I’m still pretty p—–,” Gray told on the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, “I would probably just try to do one if I could go back in time and redo that moment.”
Then the worst part arrived. Has anyone contacted you subsequently from Smith or JRM? “Well… “No, nobody at JRM,” Gray added. In fact, I was halfway through a run yesterday. I feel a little gassed and exhausted. After two miles of my three-mile run, I’m feeling a little tired and ready to stop. I glance down at my phone, I get a small notice on my watch, I look down at my phone and I see his name, and I’m like, not today. Just decline. Not today.” Yes, Gray hit ignore when Smith phoned! No truce, no words. Simply put, a resounding rejection that this conflict is still raw. Smith is also refusing to back down, acknowledging, “I’m not proud of that, but… he would have done the same thing.”
When Freddie Kraft summarized JRM’s penalty decision, he said, “Wow, that’s surprising.” With Darlington on the horizon, Gray is keeping his head up but his guard up. “It is what it is,” he sighed, replaying the race he had led for 87 laps. “Mature for sure, but not a chance he’s not over it? That declined call proves that this hatchet is staying unburied.” And the madness at Martinsville didn’t stop at Gray and Smith; it sparked a larger debate: should NASCAR drivers be allowed to fight?” After Smith crashed into Gray in the final lap, the altercation turned physical, reigniting discussions about where to draw the line.
“You can’t have that outside the Care Center,” said Jordan Bianchi on The Teardown podcast. Fighting is fine with me, but you have to watch out for guys that are simply going all out. When should you intervene? In addition to costing Gray a victory, the collision sparked a raging aftermath that has divided fans and industry insiders over how much mayhem NASCAR should tolerate.
The NASCAR community is divided as a result of Sammy Smith’s actions
When Sammy Smith, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver at JR Motorsports, collided with Taylor Gray, spinning him out and creating a massive collision, he transformed the last lap into a demolition derby. Although Austin Hill won, it has left us all feeling nasty.
In his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Jr. wasn’t sugarcoating it. “The Sammy agreement was terrible. Sammy f—– up,” he said, his voice dripping with frustration. “We’re gonna try to give Sammy everything we can and support him going forward… but that’s all they’re gonna remember from that race.” He’s angry, but he’s not giving up on his driver, and you can hear the conflict. “Anyone who believes that I will park Sammy is mistaken. “Never going to happen,” he retorted to the detractors. Smith received a $25,000 fine and a 50-point penalty from NASCAR, but Dale is not backing down. Cup veteran and team owner Brad Keselowski doesn’t believe it. He remarked, “I see a lot of finger-pointing at NASCAR to go fix it.”
“But because the car owner took care of it, these issues sort of worked themselves out on their own.” “I would probably sit the driver down until they figure out that this is an unacceptable standard,” he says bluntly. Ouch—that’s a direct hit at owners like Dale Jr. “I think NASCAR plays a role in trying to fix this; the drivers need to self-police, spotters need to be involved, crew chiefs need to be involved, team principals and owners need to be involved,” NASCAR’s Mike Forde said in his comment on “Hauler Talk.” Everyone is being urged to step up by him. This goes beyond race; it’s about decency and accountability.
