Competitors express displeasure in the racing at end of Martinsville Xfinity event
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Competitors and former racers criticized how drivers raced in Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Martinsville Speedway.
Austin Hill went from fifth to first on the final corner when the leaders wrecked to claim the overtime win in a race that saw 40% of the laps run under caution and several cars wrecked at the finish.
Dustin Long,
Sammy Smith ran into the back of leader Taylor Gray's car in Turn 3 of the final lap, sending Gray up the track and triggering a multi-car crash that allowed Hill to slip by on the inside to win.
Smith and Gray had to be restrained after the race outside the infield care center.
'He has no respect for me,' Smith said of Gray. 'We've raced hard and had issues in the past. He would have done the same thing. He would have 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 everyone is going be 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 that wasn't going to sit well with me.'
#NASCAR … Sammy Smith on what Taylor Gray said to him after Martinsville Xfinity finish: 'He said he wants to go at it. We can go at it if he wants.' pic.twitter.com/bMvj7oGkyT
Cup driver Denny Hamlin criticized the racing and called for NASCAR to step in during the race. Hamlin wrote on social media that 'Martinsville is a track that could use a (sic) 'avoidable contact' penalty. He also wrote on social media: 'God I wish I were in the (TV) booth. Id (sic) get fired but I damn sure would call these idiots out.'
Former driver Jeff Burton wrote on social media during the race: 'Some of these guys needed to have the experience of racing with Jack Ingram and Tommy Ellis.'
Sammy Smith and Taylor Gray had a confrontation outside the infield care center. pic.twitter.com/ScNfc6UKoB
Those who took part were in the race also were not happy.
'I think at the end of the day when it's a green-white-checkered at a Martinsville race, the respect and stuff is out the window and I hate to say that,' Hill said. 'I really do. I'm probably not the best one to speak on it, but I wish there was a way we could settle it down a little more to where it wasn't so just beating and banging and knocking each other's doors off and running through people. I wish we could race a different way at Martinsville than what we do.'
Justin Allgaier, who finished third, also was not happy with the racing at the end.
'I feel like all day using the bumper was one thing but just completely wrecking people, (Gray) tried to wreck (Smith) and he did it back to what (Gray) did to him,' Allgaier said. 'They're both going to be upset. I'm upset because we lost the Dash 4 Cash and we lost a chance at winning the race.'
Others also were critical of the racing and expressed it on social media:
Watch a @CARSTour race for classic short track racing, not whatever that was. How do you suggest we fix this moving forward and redeem this track in this series to what it should be? #NASCAR
Really disappointed in the lack of respect on the track tonight. It's a disgrace to this great series. Not many out there raced without just running into the guy in front of them. Not sure what we do to clean it up but something must be done.
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