NASCAR fans are still talking about the wild NASCAR Xfinity Series race finish at Martinsville Speedway on March 29. The drama unfolded when drivers Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith crashed on the final lap, causing a big pileup that changed the outcome of the entire race.
NASCAR officials weren’t happy with Smith’s actions. They hit him with a 50-point penalty and a $25,000 fine, which knocked him down from sixth to 13th place in the standings. The drama didn’t stop on the track either. After the race, Gray and another driver, Jeb Burton, were fined $5,000 each for their behavior in the medical center. This whole mess has got people asking: How aggressive is too aggressive in NASCAR?
Joey Logano Defends Aggressive Racing Mentality
Smith made a desperate move in the last corner, slamming into Gray’s car and sending it spinning. The crash allowed Austin Hill to sneak through and grab his second win of the season. Gray, who had led for 87 laps and was close to victory, ended up finishing in 29th place.
NASCAR Cup Series star Joey Logano, who has won three championships and is known for his own aggressive style, recently shared his thoughts on the situation during a SiriusXM NASCAR Radio interview.
“When I am in battle—right? Like you’re in war here, you can’t just take it and accept it and say, ‘I’m gonna be the bigger person.’ No, you’re the weaker person in that case,” Logano said, defending Gray’s aggressive approach,” Logano said.
READ MORE: Sammy Smith Speaks Out After the Ugly Taylor Gray Incident on the Final Lap
Logano acknowledged the difficult position drivers find themselves in when responding to aggressive moves.
“It sucks because that’s not fun to be in that spot either. You don’t want to have to do that, but you kind of got to unless … you’re looked at as a pushover,” he continued, highlighting the delicate balance between racing hard and maintaining respect among competitors.
When asked if there are drivers who are a pushover on Sundays in the Cup Series, Logano didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely,” he admitted. “I’m not gonna tell you who they are. I keep that to myself.” This suggests that a driver’s reputation matters a lot on the track.
While Logano seemed to back Gray’s mindset, NASCAR officials saw things differently. Eric Peterson, who runs the Xfinity Series, made it clear that Smith went too far. “We want to see really hard racing and door-to-door racing … but unfortunately, what Sammy did was over the line,” Peterson explained.
As the dust settles on this Martinsville mayhem, one thing is clear: Finding the right balance between racing hard and racing dirty remains one of NASCAR’s biggest challenges.