There was a lot of talk over the last few weeks about the Martinsville Speedway NASCAR Xfinity Series race, and it was deemed one of the worst races in quite some time because of how drivers were driving throughout the race.
Sammy Smith took the brunt of the bashing, becoming the main story after punting Taylor Gray into the corner, which triggered a massive pileup at the end. Smith’s JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier was also involved, ruining his run for the Dash 4 Cash and a shot at the win. But Smith was far from the only guilty party on that March day at Martinsville. And that Martinsville race is far from the only example of recent wreckfests in the lower two national divisions of NASCAR.
That race sparked a lot of discussions in the time since on what needs to be done and what the cause of these issues are with the younger drivers racing in the lower divisions of NASCAR and grassroots divisions alike.
The big question asked this past week and a half to drivers, both current and former, was where did the sport shift and go wrong? Where did the younger drivers start driving like this and pick up bad habits? Did the points format have much to do with it? The younger drivers are so far removed from the death of Dale Earnhardt and the safety has come such a long way since then that they may feel invincible inside the car.
Chase Elliott had a unique perspective as the son of 1988 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bill Elliott. The younger Elliott was able to grow up around the legends of the sport and learned how they did things, including how they raced on the track.
“I don’t know how to answer that in a professional manner,” Elliott said. “There are a lot of reasons and parts and pieces as to why I think it is. You have to sit back and look at it from a 1,000-foot view and see it’s just a little bit of everything. We can talk about how embarrassing Martinsville was, or we can try to encourage guys to do better.”
Some fans may feel that exciting or good races have lots of wrecks and contact instead of a clean race. Elliott feels that may be part of the issue too.
“We need to celebrate those other things more than we celebrate the chaos, and I think that’s part of the reason we went wrong,” Elliott said.
Veteran driver Brad Keselowski believes that “The sport is just evolving.”
“The limits of what you can and can’t do have been pushed,” Keselowski said. “That happens, and we reel them back in. It’s just this cycle.”
One of the common factors discussed was the drivers who come from money or have money backing them and buy rides in various series to work their way up. Regardless of their talent, which some do possess, money over talent is the core reason for these drivers being inside racecars instead of that talent and merit.
“They used to have to work on the cars,” Joey Logano said. “Now, they have teams they drive for, even as kids. It used to be just you and your dad, and when you tore it up, you were fixing it.
“The wins mean so much more now too. It’s different when you’re paying to drive the car. You don’t have a boss. They can’t fire you. Where’s the money coming from, and who’s going to hold them accountable?”
Denny Hamlin echoed this by saying that the Xfinity Series consists primarily of paid-ride drivers, but that without them, the series would not exist.
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, it was common to see the Xfinity field stacked with Cup drivers, who’d eventually usually win the races and take the limelight from the young drivers trying to move up. The term “bushwhacking” became the word to describe this, and eventually, NASCAR put rules in place to limit how often drivers could come down to race in that series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. A practice that seemed to turn some fans away has been the reason some drivers believe is why the younger drivers are racing the way they are: they don’t have a field of Cup drivers to not allow it to happen who won’t put up with that kind of racing.
“You don’t have Cup guys running every week,” Alex Bowman said. “Veterans used to run those races quite often who wouldn’t put up with that stuff.”
Bubba Wallace was one of the most honest drivers to comment on these sentiments and didn’t hold anything back on the era we’re in.
“People up in the suites love to see it, not love to see it,” Wallace said. “It’s the entertainment business. We were told that. What we saw last week caught me by surprise, and I think it caught the media and garage by surprise too.”
He believes that the lack of leadership in the Xfinity garage is causing lots of issues.
“They don’t have any leadership,” Wallace said. “It’s just tough. The lack of Cup experience in the Xfinity and Truck races plays a factor.”
Lastly, Wallace praised Dale Earnhardt Jr. for not sugarcoating the situation when he spoke about it on his podcast, Dale Jr. Download, despite being a co-owner of Smith’s team.
“It was powerful,” Wallace said of Earnhardt’s comments. “We live in a soft world now that you can’t yell or say anything to anyone. I was raised a certain way that made you tough, and you have to figure it out the hard way. Tucking your tail between your legs is one of the hardest things to do after a mistake.”
Former drivers at the second annual NASCAR alumni gathering at Darlington Raceway weighed in on the current ways of racing with the newer drivers.
“They need some coaching from guys that’s made those mistakes,” Mike Skinner said. “The problem is they get in because of family or someone else could afford a top-shell ride but lack race craft. God gave them the ability to run fast laps, but they don’t know how to pass or walk through the garage.”
Skinner also hinted that it may not be on the drivers solely, but rather NASCAR itself. Without mentioning names, he revealed he spoke with some executives recently about the issue.
“It’s tough for those guys, because you’re damned if you get involved and damned if you don’t,” Skinner said. “You can’t just let this go. The Truck series is the same way. Nobody can pass.”
Sometimes, the old-fashioned way or self-policing, Skinner believes, may also work, but we won’t count on that anytime soon.
“Back in the day, we’d go to the motorhome and punch him in the nose,” Skinner said. “Today, you get a big fine for that.”
There is hope on the other side, but it has to start somewhere. Allgaier was hopeful after his race at Darlington about the difference in that race compared to Martinsville and the conversations he had during the week between the two.
“I’ve had more productive talks with other drivers that is fruitful this week than I have ever, and that’s a good start,” Allgaier said. “My only hope is that as we get into the summer months and everyone’s tempers are flaring, everyone will remember.”
There doesn’t seem to be a one-size-fits-all solution or one magic bullet to fix the problems. Various factors are involved, but many seem to feel the roots is the drivers with financial connections who can afford a seat.
These drivers who don’t turn wrenches or work on the cars lack the respect for their own equipment, let alone the equipment of their fellow drivers. Why should they respect it? After all, it is a win-and-you’re-in system. It’s entertainment, just as NASCAR desired.
