Respect goes a long way in short track racing. I don’t think that’s a new concept.
Yet for some reason, racing with respect seems to be a lost art. That was put on full display by the NASCAR Xfinity Series this past Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway.
While the entire race was littered with questionable decisions by those behind the wheel, it all came to a head on the final lap as Sammy Smith essentially used Taylor Gray as a backboard on his way into turn 3. Tempers boiled over and an issue that has plagued the top levels of NASCAR was put on grand display for the world to see.
The next generation of NASCAR stars simply don’t race with enough respect.
About an hour later, another incident occurred just a few hours down the road at Wake County Speedway, this time with the zMAX CARS Tour. Landon Huffman and Ryan Millington, battling for second in the closing laps, made contact with one another which sent Millington for a spin and Huffman to the back with a penalty.
These two incidents are vastly different if you analyze them, but the concept could be considered the same. Millington and Gray felt as though they were wrecked, while Huffman and Smith felt as though their decisions were warranted.
Where the problem lies is that three of these guys are right and Smith is the odd man out. Unfortunately for him, Smith is being used as the example of a reoccurring problem with the Xfinity Series, one where we’re beyond the point of needing NASCAR to intervene.
Both incidents led to heated conversations, and rightfully so. But the response to those conversations is what people should take note of.
We’ll start with Smith, who fully backed his decision to dump the No. 54 and was more than willing to continue the rivalry going forward.
“I’m not very proud of what I did, he just has no respect for me,” Smith said after the race. “He was flipping me off, and that right there was the line for me to ultimately make the decision I made. … He said he wants to go at it, I mean we can go at it if he wants. I think, at the end of the day, there’s probably gonna be a lot more going forward and that’s okay with me.”
When asked if he had any respect for Gray, Smith was quick to say no. But how do you expect to gain respect from others around you when that’s what you resort to over a disagreement?
News flash: You won’t.
Compare this scenario to Huffman and Millington. While still heated, the two had a comparatively productive conversation, handling themselves with far more maturity than their Xfinity Series counterparts.
“I think he was barely there,” Millington said. “I for sure cleared him and he sure the hell didn’t back out. I don’t really know, it was nothing intentional from either party I don’t believe. Who knows, we’ve got a long year ahead, I’m not trying to start anything with Landon…”
“I don’t know if he just lost his brain or what, he’s raced his whole life,” Huffman said. “Maybe the spotter didn’t tell him I was there, if that’s the case then I don’t know. I have a lot of respect for Ryan and that was just really stupid.”
There’s a clear difference. Huffman and Millington showed respect. While they were still frustrated, the pair made it clear that the situation would be deescalated rather than escalated, which Smith’s comments suggest.
Why is that? The most obvious difference is the late model guys have to fix their own equipment, while most of the repeat offenders in Xfinity do not.
There’s also the matter of how the incidents are policed. Following his contact with Millington, Huffman was penalized and sent to the tail of the field for spinning his No. 15 and causing the accident. It’s a judgement call, but it’s one the CARS Tour is consistent with, even with ‘racing incidents.’
Rather than dish out mid-race penalties, NASCAR chose to hand out points penalties and fines on the ensuing Wednesday – a consequence for intolerable driving that thus far has failed to clean up the racing on track.
The punishment doesn’t fit the crime. It’s time to fix that.
If NASCAR had a proper avoidable contact system, the sport’s drivers would think twice about over-the-top retaliation, pile-driving a guy into a corner while taking out other innocent cars, or even the right-rear hooks like we’ve seen on Sundays.
Up-and-coming drivers watch the product put on television and learn it as an example of how they should carry themselves. The example they’re being given right now is a poor one.
Veterans of the sport and family owned race teams like we see some of in late model racing today provide a much better example to that next generation of racers as to how they should conduct themselves, both on and off the race track.
Believe it or not, NASCAR could actually take some notes from the regional level on this one, rather than letting the field run wild.
Chase began working with Frontstretch in the spring of 2023 as a news writer, while also helping fill in for other columns as needed. Chase is now the main writer and reporter for Frontstretch.com's CARS Tour coverage, a role which began late in 2023. Aside from racing, some of Chase's other hobbies include time in the outdoors hunting and fishing, and keeping up with all things Philadelphia sports related.