When Dale Earnhardt Jr. walked away from Martinsville last weekend, it wasn’t with pride or nostalgia. It was frustration. Pure, blistering frustration. He wasn’t just embarrassed by the chaos that unfolded in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race—he was embarrassed by his own driver. Sammy Smith, driving for JR Motorsports, made a reckless, last-lap move that took out Taylor Gray, who was leading the race.
The move not only wiped out both drivers’ chances of winning but also sparked a massive pile-up that turned the finish into a demolition derby. Afterward, Dale Jr. didn’t sugarcoat his disappointment. “I’ve never been that disappointed walking out of a racetrack… He gave himself a black eye. He gave JR Motorsports a black eye. Everybody thinks you’re a spoiled punk—that’s what people think,” he said on the Dale Jr. Download.
That wasn’t just about a kid making a bad call. It was about what that race meant — and how bad it looked. However, the aftermath was brutal. Fans and drivers lashed out. NASCAR handed down penalties. And now, with the dust still swirling, NASCAR’s most popular driver, Chase Elliott, has stepped in with a mic-drop moment that might finally put a lid on the conversation.
Chase Elliott tries to shut down the ongoing debate!
Last week’s Martinsville Cup race was nothing short of redemption as Denny Hamlin broke his 31-race-long winless streak. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver clinched the win with a dominant 3.4 seconds of the lead. Despite that, this week, the NASCAR garage has been buzzing about one thing—the Martinsville mess. The Xfinity Series race that was supposed to be a short-track showdown became a circus.
And with nearly everyone weighing in, it was only a matter of time before Chase Elliott was asked to share his take. Ahead of this week’s mega event at Darlington, Elliott spoke about it with the media. Elliott didn’t name names, but he didn’t need to. His tone said it all. He criticized the lack of control, the reckless aggression, and how early in the race the chaos started.
“Yeah, it was terrible. I mean, it was really bad… I think we’re better than that, and those guys are better than that… And it wasn’t just like the last-lap thing—it was just the whole race. I mean, the whole race was just chaos. They were running over each other with 75 laps to go, it seemed like,” he said. Notably, the race had over 100 laps run under caution. Eleven cautions flew in the final stage alone. It was chaos, not competition.
CHARLOTTE, NC – MAY 29: Sammy Smith 18 Joe Gibbs Racing TMC Toyota looks on prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Xfinity Series Alsco 300 on May 29, 2023, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAY 29 NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 300 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon230529114
It wasn’t just Smith. Corey Day, who is touted to be the next big thing and making his debut, also had his hands dirty. On Lap 54, he just showed his No. 17 car ahead of Harrison Burton, which left both drivers spinning off the track into the wall. Austin Hill, who just bagged a return to the Cup Series with RCR, didn’t think twice before ramming into Carson Kvapil. Sam Mayer’s involvement went under the radar as he didn’t lift to avoid making contact with the No. 16 car on the backstretch. The only way he thought to get out of the situation was to plough through the field and that is exactly what he did.
However, ahead of the Darlington race, Sammy Smith acknowledged his mistake. After trying to justify his move by saying Gray would have done the same, Smith backed down. The No.8 JR Motorsports driver said, “Ultimately, I made a mistake. Hopefully, I can be forgiven and move past it. Obviously with the decision I made last week, I’ve made a lot of apologies this week to a lot of different people.”
That’s a start, but there’s a long way to go. His penalty was stiff, i.e., 50 points and a $25,000 fine. But things can get worse if NASCAR and Drivers fail to control it. However, this week, we can expect less drama as multiple cup series drivers will participate in the Xfinity race. And Elliott has a front-row seat once again. The Hendrick Motorsports driver will start 8th, just behind Taylor Gray (7th).
Meanwhile, Sammy Smith, at the center of last week’s drama, qualified 12th. For Elliott, it’s more than just a one-off drive. It’s a chance to lead by example. So, where do we go from here? Well, it’s Throwback Weekend at Darlington. But Elliott has thoughts on that too—and spoiler alert: he’s not a fan.
Elliott slams NASCAR’s throwback weekend!
Darlington’s Throwback Weekend has been a NASCAR tradition since 2015. What started as a nod to the sport’s history has, in Chase Elliott’s view, turned into something else entirely — a hollow gimmick. Speaking to the media ahead of Darlington’s Throwback Weekend, Elliott made it clear—this tradition might have run its course. “I thought I lost it about four or five years ago. I joked about this years ago, but if we keep going down the road, we’re going to be throwing it back to me in 2018,” he said.
That’s Elliott’s way of saying it’s time to rethink the whole concept. What started as a cool, once-a-year nod to NASCAR’s roots has now become a bit of a forced ritual. “At some point, I think we’ve got to chill on it a little bit. I think we’ve rode the horse to death,” he said. He’s not wrong. This year, only 19 of the 38 Cup teams are running throwback schemes. That’s less than half the field. Even Denny Hamlin, a big name in the sport, says it’s tough to get sponsors on board with the theme.
“These guys are trying to get a return on their investment,” he said. Without the freedom to experiment, creativity fades. The Xfinity Series cars, Hamlin noted, still look great — because they have fewer sponsors and more leeway. However, Elliott still showed up with a tribute to Kenny Schrader’s 1994 Chevrolet, but that’s more out of respect than excitement. The fun might be fading. Drivers used to dress up, sport fake mustaches, and go all in. Now? Not so much. And if Chase Elliott, the sport’s biggest fan-favorite, is over it… Maybe it’s time NASCAR takes notice of this trend.
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