Security Prevents Gray and Smith From Getting Physical After Xfinity Crash

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville met with an unexpected ending after Sammy Smith crashed into race leader Taylor Gray in the last lap, causing him to spin out. Smith too did not manage an ideal race finish, leading Austin Hill to secure a surprise race win. However, the action didn’t end there. Gray and Smith nearly came to blows after the race before security intervened and separated them.

Smith and Gray’s last-lap collision caused a chain reaction, leading many cars to crash into each other. The spectacle has been heavily criticized by NASCAR veterans and insiders, who think the incident set a bad example for the sport.

The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi shared behind-the-scenes footage of Gray approaching Smith outside the infield care center before they almost got hold of each other. While their relationship is not known to be particularly friendly in the past, this altercation might have brought it to a new low.

After the race, Smith said that Gray would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed. He told CW Sports:

Sammy Smith, driver of the #8 Pilot Chevrolet, is assisted by the American Medical Response (AMR) safety team after an on-track incident to end the NASCAR Xfinity Series US Marine Corps 250 at Martinsville Speedway…

Logan Riely/Getty Images

“I mean, absolutely, it was egregious. I mean, yeah, I’m not proud of that, but I mean, if roles were reversed, he would have done the same thing. He’s got no respect for me. I didn’t move him those first prior restarts and you know, he was flipping me off under the red flag, swerving at me, you know, it’s definitely uncalled for and I’m not proud of it, but he would have done the exact same thing, and that’s what I told him. You know, we’ll see what happens after that.”

He continued:

“I mean, it’s unfortunate, you know, he’s – if you’re not the one doing it, someone’s going to do it to you. Everyone’s gonna dog on me and I’m not proud of that but at the end of the day, it’s what you got to do. So, we’ll move on to Darlington.”

Now though, the biggest question is whether the heated rivalry between the two drivers will cool off before Darlington.