Bob Pockrass gives his take on the possible evaluation of JRM driver Sammy Smith’s last-lap move at Martinsville 

Veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass has shared his opinion on Sammy Smith’s aggressive last-lap move during Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway. NASCAR officials are looking into the incident and a decision on any penalty is expected by Tuesday (April 1).

Saturday’s Marine Corps 250 was full of wrecks, with one of the highest caution laps (102) in an Xfinity race. Smith and Taylor Gray had been battling hard for the lead in multiple restarts before their final collision, where Smith hit Gray and caused both cars to spin. This allowed Austin Hill to sneak past and win his second race of the 2025 season.

FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass shared his take saying that NASCAR will possibly compare this to a similar incident last August, when Austin Dillon crashed into two drivers to win at Richmond. Dillon was later penalized 25 points and lost his playoff spot. In a post on X, Pockrass wrote about the JR Motorsports driver's likely penalty:

"NASCAR officials will evaluate last-lap move by Sammy Smith (any penalty decision likely Tuesday). My guess is evaluate it compared to Dillon at Richmond. He didn’t win (Smith was 10th but Gray 29th). AD (who had contact w/2 cars) was docked 25pts & playoff eligibility for win."

Smith ended up finishing 10th, while Gray dropped to 29th.

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"He's got no respect for me" - Sammy Smith after NASCAR Xfinity incident with Taylor Gray

Sammy Smith and Joe Gibbs Racing's Taylor Gray, who led most restarts, got into a heated argument after the race outside the care center and had to be pulled apart. During the race, Smith tried to pass him and pushed Gray aside to take the lead after two failed attempts. Gray fought back and used Smith’s move to take the lead again.

During a post-race interview, Smith admitted his move on the final lap when Gray was leading was rough but said Gray would have done the same. He also claimed Gray had been disrespectful during the race.

"Absolutely, it was egregious. I'm not proud of it, but he would have done the exact same thing to me, roles reversed...I mean, he's got no respect for me. I didn’t move him in those first prior restarts, and, you know, he was flipping me off under the red flag," Sammy Smith said (00:10 onwards via NASCAR's YouTube channel).

"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. And, you know, we'll see what happens after that," he added.

Sammy Smith, 20, is currently in his third full-time NASCAR Xfinity season. He joined JR Motorsports last year after debuting with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022. Smith has won two races, with his latest being the 2024 United Rentals 250 at Talladega Superspeedway in October.