Furious Followers Rip Into NASCAR for ‘Free Rulebook’ as They Demand Dale Jr.’s Star Be Delivered to Justice

Because the checkered flag waved on Saturday’s Xfinity Sequence race at Martinsville, Denny Hamlin wasn’t celebrating. The three-time Daytona 500 Champion fired off his frustrations on-line as chaos unfolded on the paperclip. “Absolute rubbish,” Hamlin fumed in a publish on X. He didn’t cease there. “God, I want I have been within the sales space. I’d get fired, however I rattling positive would name these idiots out,” he added in one other publish.

Hamlin’s rage wasn’t unwarranted. The Martinsville race was a wreck-fest, with 102 warning laps—one of many highest in Xfinity Sequence historical past. Nonetheless, the true controversy got here within the closing moments when Sammy Smith and Taylor Grey fought for the lead. Smith, driving the No. 8 JRM Chevy, made an aggressive last-lap transfer, slamming into Grey and taking them each out of rivalry.

As a substitute of battling for the win, they spun out, clearing the way in which for Austin Hill to steal it. It was a brutal finish to what ought to have been an exciting end. The drama didn’t cease there. Grey, livid over Smith’s transfer, confronted him after the race. The 2 had exchanged aggressive driving all through the occasion, however this was the boiling level. The heated confrontation outdoors the infield care heart solely fueled the controversy.

The transfer reminded lots of Austin Dillon’s notorious 2024 Richmond crash, the place he wrecked his solution to victory and later paid the worth with a hefty penalty. However in contrast to Dillon, Smith didn’t even win—he completed tenth. And worse? He didn’t present a touch of remorse. “I’m not pleased with that, however he would’ve completed the identical factor,” he mentioned. That assertion and the wreck set off a storm amongst NASCAR veterans and followers alike.

On Sunday, insider Bob Pockrass reported that NASCAR goes to judge the last-lap drama. “NASCAR officers will consider the final lap transfer by Sammy Smith (any penalty determination possible Tuesday). My guess is evaluating it in comparison with Dillon at Richmond. He didn’t win (Smith was tenth, however Grey was twenty ninth). AD (who had contact w/2 automobiles) was docked 25pts & playoff eligibility for the win,” he posted on X. Whereas he identified some attainable outcomes of the analysis, NASCAR followers weren’t settling for something under a heavy penalty.

The response was swift as one fan summed up the frustration, saying, “That is worse than what Dillon did. At the very least Dillon has the excuse that at that time within the season, something apart from a win was ineffective. Smith nonetheless had 20 races the place he possible might win or level his method in. Dillon’s was desperation; this was a tantrum.” The comparability to Dillon’s Richmond penalty in 2024 is evident.

Dillon, in a must-win scenario, crashed into Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to take the victory. Nonetheless, NASCAR dominated his win ineligible for the playoffs and stripped 25 factors from him and his crew. Officers emphasised that wrecking your solution to victory wasn’t racing—it was chaos. But, Smith, with a full season forward of him, took out Grey with no intention of ending the race.

Notably, followers weren’t the one ones who referred to as out Sammy Smith. His crew proprietor and NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. slammed his driver. Simply after the race, he took to the social media platform X to specific his frustration. “This racetrack is historic within the grand scheme of all issues NASCAR and deserves higher,” he wrote. Regardless of this, Smith remained unfazed as he justified his antics. This triggered followers as they imagine if NASCAR doesn’t take a stand, and maybe this wreck-fest model of racing will grow to be a brand new norm at tracks like Martinsville.

Followers fail to comprise their frustration over Smith’s Martinsville race antics!

Sammy Smith’s Martinsville race mess has ignited widespread anger amongst NASCAR’s most passionate followers. Many imagine the game is transferring within the flawed course, and so they aren’t holding again. One fan identified how NASCAR’s inconsistency damages its integrity. “My native quick monitor has extra rapid punishments than the best inventory automotive sanctioning physique on this planet, and my native quick monitor is run by a c—-addicted towing firm proprietor,” he wrote.

The frustration is evident; grassroots racing has stricter guidelines than NASCAR itself. If quick tracks can implement rapid penalties, why can’t a billion-dollar group do the identical? In the meantime, one other main criticism is NASCAR’s delayed response time. Whereas different racing leagues make rapid rulings, NASCAR takes days to resolve penalties. This was evident in Austin Cindric’s case as effectively this 12 months when he dumped Ty Dillon at COTA. So, the frustration for the followers stems from the acts of the governing physique in dragging these white and black calls.

“That is a part of the issue, although… You’ll be able to’t make this determination days after the race. It has to occur instantly so drivers know the implications immediately. That’s the one solution to eliminate this rubbish,” a person posted. This have to be one of many largest points with NASCAR. When racing leagues like Method 1 and MotoGP resolve inside hours why does NASCAR take days? That is past understanding, and possibly we are going to get a solution in an upcoming episode of Hauler Talks.

One of many the explanation why NASCAR doesn’t wish to police the scenario is the brand new playoff waiver rule. Now, if a driver does get suspended for a race, they must forfeit all of the playoff factors they’ve earned within the common season. So, you see NASCAR is strolling on skinny ice on whether or not to make a name or not over the incident. However, provided that the sanctioning physique set a precedent with Cindric’s penalty, the drivers really feel incentivized to blur the nice line between laborious racing and intentional wrecking.

In the meantime, a fan argued that NASCAR focuses an excessive amount of on the outcome as a substitute of the motion itself. “Penalize the motion, not the end result,” he posted. This hits on the core of the difficulty. As a result of Smith completed tenth as a substitute of profitable, some imagine NASCAR may let it slide. However that logic is flawed. If a transfer is harmful, it shouldn’t matter whether or not it results in a victory or not. The penalty must be based mostly on intent and execution, not simply who results in victory lane. With calls for rising for a penalty, we would get a midweek determination over it.