Dale Earnhardt Jr. dejected with unwanted Martinsville race, calls for a ‘deserving finish’

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Martinsville witnessed a myriad of car wrecks, which Dale Earnhardt Jr. was critical of. The 50-year-old took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared his perspective on how the racing spectacle had deteriorated at a track that holds such a heritage.

At the start of the race, JRM's Connor Zilisch controlled the race and won the first two stages. However, mayhem broke out in the final stage. The race observed a massive 14 cautions that lasted 104 laps of the race distance.

Moreover, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s own driver, Sammy Smith, had been at the forefront of such collisions. After spending the latter stage of the race tucked behind Taylor Gray, he seemingly had enough of the No. 54 car and lunged into the rear of his car.

This action unsettled Smith's and Gray's car as the pair plummeted in the pecking order on the final turn. Austin Hill then inherited the victory, but the race was primarily noted for its racing behaviors by many.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. deemed the race that took place to be one that tainted the track's heritage. The NASCAR Hall of Famer was unhappy with how the race panned out, and wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"This racetrack is historic in the grand scheme of all things NASCAR and deserves better."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not the only one from the NASCAR world to criticize the racing action at the sub-1 mile track.

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Denny Hamlin suggests a solution on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s X post

Denny Hamlin - Source: USA Today

Denny Hamlin also expressed his discontent with how the Xfinity race went down. Though the 44-year-old has had his fair share of controversial crashes in the Cup Series, he frowned upon the Martinsville crash and agreed with Earnhardt Jr.'s perspective.

The JGR driver then devised a solution that would stop the uncontrolled racing behaviors by the petrolheads. Hamlin asserted that people who collide intentionally with others should be penalized; this would bring the fear of detterance and would urge racers to drive in a civilized way, as he wrote on X:

"It just takes 1 penalty and it will stop this sh*t. For the short term that is. Gotta send a message."

Hamlin, in his own right, is a seasoned veteran in the Cup Series. While he has never won the Cup Series championship (as a driver), he has always been a driver that others have to think about in their fight for the title.

The JGR driver finished eighth last year in the championship and wants a better 2025 campaign this year around. He has two top-five finishes already, with a runner-up finish at Phoenix Raceway, and stands eighth in the interim Cup Series standings.