“Some of them don’t belong in there”: 4-time Truck champion comments on current crop of NASCAR drivers

Ron Hornaday, a four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, got candid with young drivers in the Truck series. He argued that some don't belong in the sport because they don't know how to work on their trucks.

With four titles under his belt, Hornaday holds the record for the most championships in the Truck Series. He won 51 races, second-most behind Kyle Busch, before earning an induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2018.

During the Cup Series' Darlington Raceway race weekend, the 66-year-old shared his thoughts on young drivers treating their rides like in-game sim cars with a reset button.

"My grandson was about nine years old, he said, 'Hey, papi, come over here and race me in this simulator.' And I said, 'No, I had enough racing.' He's like, 'But yeah, you can't get hurt in this. All you have to do is push a button to get a new truck,'" Hornaday said via Noah Lewis on X.

"That's what I kind of picture. These kids don't have to work on their equipment, not all of them [...] They're treating them like you can push a button and get a new truck," he added.

After recalling the old days when NASCAR Truck drivers worked on their rides and had no security with sponsors, the Hall of Famer said:

"Some of these kids don't know how to do that. I hate to sound negative but some of them don't belong in there, and some of them do." [1:00]

The Craftsman Truck Series is typically the entry point into NASCAR's national series. Most young drivers work their way up from racing trucks to stock cars in the Xfinity Series, hoping to earn a seat against the big dogs in the Cup Series.

As of this writing, the pickup truck-based racing series has completed five of its 25 scheduled races. The most recent outing was at Martinsville Speedway, where Daniel Hemric secured his first series victory driving the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado.

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Defending NASCAR champion shares his thoughts on rise in aggressive young drivers

Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano blamed young drivers paying their way into the sport amid the caution-filled Martinsville Xfinity race. He believes the funding model enables drivers to wreck opponents without significant consequences.

The #22 Team Penske driver recalled how young drivers used to work on their race cars with their fathers, saying the time and effort put in the garage changed their approach to their on-track antics.

"It used to just be you and your dad, and when you tore it up, you were fixing it, you know? And, like, there was a little different approach from that standpoint. I think that's some of it," Logano said via Trenton Worsham on X. [01:16]

"It's different when you're paying to drive the car. You are now the boss, right? Like, when you were getting paid to drive the car, you have a boss. When you're the one bringing the money, you can't fire you, right? Like, it's going to take a lot more to do that," he added. [1:40]

The US Marine Corps 250 (Xfinity) at Martinsville Speedway saw the caution thrown 14 times, resulting in 104 laps completed under the yellow flag. Notably, Sammy Smith deliberately wrecked Taylor Gray out of the lead on the final lap.