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Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the owner of the Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports. JRM's Sammy Smith, driving the #8 car, got into an altercation on-track during the US Marine Corps 250 at the Martinsville Speedway on Saturday that involved the cars of Taylor Gray and his teammate, Justin Allgaier. Chris Gabehart, who is the former crew chief of Denny Hamlin's #11 team, took to his social media to share his thoughts on Smith's performance this weekend, which he felt was disrespectful.
Taylor Gray, who drives the #54 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, took over the lead of the race from the Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s driver and was able to hold on to it till the final lap of the race, where Smith made a move into the corner that caused the #54 to spin and get knocked into the wall. Gray's spin also caused him to hit the back of JRM's Allgaier, who then crashed into Smith.
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The JR Motorsports drivers were able to hold on, with Smith ending his race in 10th place and Allgaier ending in third. But the JGR driver crossed the finish line 29th.
Gabehart, who is the competition director of Joe Gibbs Racing, agreed with spotter Tony Hirschman, who called out Sammy Smith for causing destruction to his car along with the other drivers', as well as losing the respect of his peers and members of his garage. Denny Hamlin's former crew chief built on that sentiment:
"Yep. Spoiled child with no respect for the art of racing or those he's racing against."
The Dale Earnhardt Jr. team has seen success this season in the form of three race wins. The #8 driver, Connor Zilisch, scored the win at the COTA race at the beginning of this month, while the #7 car of Justin Allgaier took victory at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami races.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. calls for the Martinsville Speedway to deserve better
The Xfinity Series team owner took to his X account to share his thoughts on the US Marine Corps 250, which had already seen 14 caution periods before Sammy Smith collided with Taylor Gray. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote about the significance of the track, as well as calling for respect for the racing venue.
"This racetrack is historic in the grand scheme of all things NASCAR and deserves better."
The $300-million-worth former driver has achieved one win and 18 Top-10 finishes at the Martinsville Speedway in his Cup Series career. His win at the track came in the 2014 season when he drove for Hendrick Motorsports, scoring the 29th victory for the team at the location.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. had also seen much success at the track, having won there six times during his career.
