"They should send these guys home": Kyle Petty pushes NASCAR to put on 'big boy pants' and restore order after Xfinity mess

Kyle Petty shared his take on the controversial and chaotic NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville. The former Cup Series driver was of the opinion that the stock car governing body should put on 'big boy pants' and act firmly to tackle such situations in the future.

The Xfinity Series race at the Martinsville Speedway saw a chaotic finish after Sammy Smith triggered a wreck and threw Taylor Gray, the race leader, out of the race. In the final lap, Smith, who was multiple car lengths behind, came charging down the track and hit Gray from behind to send him spinning.

As a result of the hit, Smith, too, lost control of his car and fell down the order. In the end, Austin Hill used the opportunity to come out on top and eventually won the race ahead of Sheldon Creed and Justin Allgaier. Smith crossed the finish line in 10th place, whereas Gray came home in 29th place.

Following the race, fans, experts, and former drivers called out the governing body for failing to control the outcome. One such man was Kyle Petty, a former driver and the son of the most successful Cup Series driver, Richard Petty.

"Here's what NASCAR does," Petty said in a recent interview with NASCAR. "They put on their big boy pants, and they send these guys home; they make them sit at home. Take something away. Don't take money, don't take points, take the opportunity to sit in that car, and hang on to that car steering wheel and race."

"Let them watch races, and understand how it should be done, and listen, until NASCAR; they are the last line of defense for the sport; they are the last line that can keep the integrity of the sport, and the spirit of the sport, where it needs to be."

Besides Petty, renowned NASCAR personalities such as Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, Chris Gabehart, Mark Martin, and many more called out the ordeal at the Marine Corps 250 at the Martinsville Speedway.

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Former driver slammed NASCAR over Martinsville inaction

Former Cup Series driver Mark Martin slammed the stock car governing body over their inaction during the Marine Corps 250 at the Martinsville Speedway. Martin from his official social media account, stated that the ordeal at Martinsville was a "shame" and it was a "no win" situation for them.

Writing on the same note, Martin quote-tweeted Chris Lambert's post on X and shared:

"It’s a damn shame @NASCAR has been put in this situation. They should not have to police this. It hurts the sport to have to be the police of on-track ethics, and it hurts it if they don’t. I’m critical of @NASCAR for some things, but this is a no-win for them."

The controversial race at Martinsville saw 14 cautions, a red flag, and 104 laps out of 240 under a yellow flag situation.