NASCAR officials with meet with Xfinity Series drivers Saturday at Darlington to discuss their actions in a wreck-filled race last weekend at Martinsville that a senior executive called a “disaster.”
The Martinsville Xfinity race had 14 cautions. The final 100 laps of the 256-lap event had nine cautions and the race ended with Sammy Smith knocking Taylor Gray out of the lead in Turn 3 on the final lap and triggering a multi-car crash as the field raced to the finish.
NASCAR docks Sammy Smith 50 points and fines him $25,000.
Elton Sawyer expressed his disappointment Wednesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive” with how the drivers raced at Martinsville.
“The Xfinity guys have an opportunity to go back there (to Martinsville) in the fall and redeem themselves on a race, obviously a lot of discussion around,” Sawyer said.
“I’m not sure who was driving the cars because most of the Xfinity guys that I know and been around and watched them race, watched them race at Homestead the week before, I think there was other drivers in the car because it was a disaster.”
NASCAR penalized Smith 50 points and fined him $25,000 for his actions at the end of the race. NASCAR also fined Taylor Gray $5,000 for a confrontation in the infield care center. NASCAR fined Jeb Burton $5,000 for a separate confrontation in the infield care center.
Multiple incidents late and a multi-car crash on the last lap triggered strong emotions.
The penalty dropped Smith from sixth in the points to 13th, the first spot outside a transfer position for the Xfinity playoffs. Sawyer said officials discussed suspending Smith before deciding not to do so.
“Historically, we’ve tried to stay with points and money on a situation like that,” Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. ” … Sammy is a prime example of a young man that’s got a great deal of talent. Obviously made some mistakes at the end of that race that he’s going to have to learn from. We have to step in and help him with that process and that’s what we did.
“But there was a multitude of bad decisions that was made by a multitude of drivers throughout that event and we plan to address that with the garage this weekend at Darlington.”
Ryan Blaney will look to Martinsville to snap his streak of failing to finish the last three races.
Sawyer also said what will be expressed to the Xfinity drivers in their meeting with series officials Saturday at Darlington.
“I think it’s mostly just letting them understand, or at least give them the message of how they can process what happened (last) Saturday and how they learn from that and earn the respect of their fellow competitors,” Sawyer said. “NASCAR racing, we’ve been built on, pushing and shoving is fine, tire marks are fine and that’s OK. It’s a contact sport. We totally get that.
“But we do have to step in from time to time when they cross the line, and we just want to let them know that this is crossing the line and we will step in.
“You guys race with respect, you don’t have to like each other and totally understand that, but you do have to respect each other and go out there and race like you have the ability to do. It takes zero talent, zero talent, to do and make some of the moves that those guys made on Saturday.”
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