NASCAR announces detrimental $25k penalty to Sammy Smith for his controversial actions at Martinsville

Sammy Smith has been penalized for taking out the race leader on the final lap of the recent Xfinity race at Martinsville Speedway. NASCAR fined the 20-year-old driver $25,000 and docked him 50 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers' standings, dropping him outside the top 10.

Smith is one of the four drivers at JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Xfinity Series team. Following the Martinsville race, he was under fire after bumping Taylor Gray out of the lead off turn three. However, Austin Hill snatched the lead from the inside and won the race.

NASCAR YouTuber and influencer Eric Estepp shared the news of NASCAR's action against Smith in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He also applauded the stock car racing league for taking action on the driver's controversial move last Saturday. He wrote:

"Sammy Smith has been docked 50 points and fined $25K for his last lap move at Martinsville."

"I'm glad NASCAR is condemning what he did, but I'd rather them make the call in the moment. Something that blatant should get called immediately. Drop 'em to the end of the lead lap."

Sammy Smith walked out of the weekend with 31 points after finishing 10th. The No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro driver sat seventh in the standings after the race, but fell to the 13th spot with 165 points with the penalty imposed.

JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier, who got pushed to Smith on the final lap, finished third, with Sheldon Creed coming home in second place. Brennan Poole and Sam Mayer completed the top five finishing list.

Sammy Smith drives the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports - Source: Imagn

The NASCAR Xfinity Series grid is next scheduled for a 147-lap contest at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, April 5. The Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on The CW Sports.

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"I am not very proud" - Sammy Smith on last-lap contact with Taylor Gray

Sammy Smith shared his thoughts on the last-lap incident at Martinsville Speedway. While Smith wasn't proud of bumping Taylor Gray, the Chevrolet pilot argued his rival would've done the same if their positions were reversed.

Speaking to veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass, the Iowa native said:

"You know I am not very proud of that, of what I did. I mean, it's just... He just has no respect for me, and he was flipping me off under the red flags, swerving at my door." [start of video]

"I just think he has no respect for me. We raced hard, and we had issues in the past. I thought he would have done the same thing to me... move me if I was in the lead, and that's what you have to do. If you don't do that, you're going to be one getting run over," he added. [1:01]

After seven races in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, Smith has amassed one top-5 and two top-10 finishes. His best finish was fourth place at Atlanta Motor Speedway last month. He also earned one pole position at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but finished 14th.