Remember the 2018 Daytona 500? It was the final lap, and Aric Almirola was the leader. He saw an impressionable Austin Dillon taking a run on the outside at Turn 3. Attempting to block him, Almirola slid to the right, only to get spun and hit the wall after Dillon didn’t lift his foot off the gas! Dillon had won the race, and Almirola didn’t even finish. Keeping the controversy aside, Almirola kept a very fair point in front of everyone associated with NASCAR: “He’s not driving too aggressively, he’s trying to win the Daytona 500 just like I was.” And a recent Xfinity race witnessed something similar to some extent.
Tempers were flaring at Martinsville Speedway. The ‘Half Mile of Mayhem’ truly lived up to its name at the 2025 US Marine Corps 250 after a chaotic end to the Xfinity Series race. Taylor Gray was within touching distance of securing his first win in NASCAR’s second tier, only to be wrecked in the final turn by Sammy Smith. What followed was complete chaos, as multiple cars were strewn across the racetrack, some crossing the checkered flag while spinning, and an unlikely candidate emerged victorious.
A line wasn’t crossed at Martinsville, it was blown away! And Dale Jr.’s driver, Sammy Smith, wasn’t remorseful about his actions, even though the wreck brought about widespread criticism. The two racers were seen confronting each other afterward, with neither satisfied by the race’s outcome.
Sammy Smith was looking for vengeance
It was a battle of wills between Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith at Martinsville Speedway. Both drivers were competing for a triumph in the final two laps at the US Marine Corps 250. Not afraid to get their hands dirty, neither driver hesitated to exchange paint. The Joe Gibbs racer was doing a slight bump-and-run before he was rammed by Smith’s No. 8 Chevy during the final turn of the race.
The move didn’t work as well as Sammy Smith hoped, as the JR Motorsports driver bumped into teammate Justin Allgaier in the process, forcing him to finish 10th. Reflecting on the events of the last lap, the 20-year-old said, “I mean, it’s unfortunate. You know, I’m not very proud of that what I did. It’s just, he just has no respect for me, and he was flipping me off under the red flag, swerving at my door. I moved him into (turn) one, then he still had the lead those two restarts, and going on the back straightaway, I thought to myself, what would he do in this situation, and he would have done the exact same thing.”
There is no love lost between the two drivers. Even though Smith didn’t want to be labeled a ‘dirty’ driver, fighting for a win was his priority, even if it meant that he would have to race hard in the process. Explaining his reasoning, the Iowa native said, “I mean, if I just let him go, I accept that I finish second today. I tried to do my best for my team and myself to win. It just wasn’t good enough.”
“He was flipping me off under red and swerving at me…he would have done the same thing…if he wants to go at it, let’s go.”
Sammy Smith post-race.
He adds that he doesn’t really have any respect for Taylor Gray. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/F45qAFMmB8
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) March 30, 2025
Sammy Smith was out for vengeance going into the final lap. He had received a series of hand gestures from Taylor Gray during a Lap 232 stoppage and was keen to deliver a payback. Unfortunately, delivering karma didn’t work out for either racer, as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver ended up 29th, while Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s prodigy couldn’t break into the top five.
Looking back at the incident with Sammy Smith, Gray said, “I was a little upset when he first hit me, just because I felt like I haven’t put a scratch on him all year. He could have raced me a little bit better. But then again, it’s Martinsville. I have to understand that that’s going to happen. But what he did getting into (turn) three, I mean, it completely takes no talent. All you’ve got to do is just let off the brake pedal and just clearly destroy me. So I don’t know. It ruins his race, too.” No matter what the incident was, the results are out and cannot be undone.
Ultimately, the winner from the last-lap chaos was Austin Hill, who went from fifth to first in the blink of an eye. The Richard Childress Racing driver notched his second triumph of the year, collecting $100,000 in prize money. The wreck just goes to show that vengeance isn’t always the answer, and perhaps Sammy Smith would have been better off settling for a second-place triumph. Could Taylor Gray look for retaliation at Darlington Raceway next week? Time will tell.
Taylor Gray eyes redemption at Darlington
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Taylor Gray. The New Mexico native led a career-best 87 laps at Martinsville Speedway and deserved to win on what is perhaps one of the most challenging tracks on the NASCAR calendar. Instead, he ended up with his second-worst result of the season after his looping spin in Turns 3 and 4. He had a late incident with Christian Eckes at ‘The Paperclip’ last year as well, which resulted in yet another pit road confrontation.
Despite the two continuous heartbreaks, Gray will now force himself to pick himself up, dust himself off, and look ahead to the race at Darlington. Even though the result may not have gone in his favor, the youngster can take plenty of positives from his performance at Martinsville. Now that an Xfinity Series triumph looks within reach, the No. 54 Toyota racer will leave no stone unturned to break into the playoffs with a win.
As for Sammy Smith, the Iowa native will aim to break his 12-race winless streak as well. Could another controversy be on the cards? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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