Nascar to meet with XFinity drivers after Martinsville race that was considered a ‘disaster’

NASCAR officials with the meeting with XFINITY SERIES Saturday at Darlington to discuss their performance in a wreck-filled race last weekend at Martinsville who calls a senior executive a ‘disaster’.

The Martinsville XFinity race had 14 warnings. The last 100 rounds of the 256-Round event had nine warnings and the race ended with Sammy Smith beating Taylor Gray from the lead on the last round and caused a multi-car accident as the field rushed to the end.

Nascar dock Sammy Smith 50 points and fines him $ 25,000.

Elton Sawyer expressed his disappointment on Wednesday about SiriusXM Nascar Radio’s “The Morning Drive” with how the drivers chased Martinsville.

“The XFinity guys have the opportunity to go there in the fall (to Martinsville) and save themselves on a race, of course many discussions,” Sawyer said.

“I’m not sure who drove the cars, because most of the XFinity guys I know and in the area watched them run, watching them run on Homestead the week before, I think there were other drivers in the car because it was a disaster.”

Nascar punished Smith 50 points and fined him $ 25,000 for his actions at the end of the race. Nascar also fined Taylor Gray a $ 5,000 fine for a confrontation in the Infield Care Center. Nascar fined Jeb Burton $ 5,000 for a separate confrontation in the Infield Care Center.

Several incidents late and a multi-car accident on the last round caused strong emotions.

The penalty kicked Smith from sixth place in the points to 13th, the first place outside a transfer position for the Xfinity Playoffs. Sawyer said officials suspended Smith before deciding not to.

“Historically, we have tried to stay in a situation with points and money,” Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR radio. ‘… Sammy is an excellent example of a young man who has a lot of talent. Of course, some mistakes made at the end of the race from which to learn. We have to walk in and help him with the process and that is what we did.

“But there were a multitude of bad decisions made by a multitude of drivers during the event, and we plan to address it at the garage in Darlington this weekend.”

Ryan Blaney will look at Martinsville to end his line of the last three races.

Sawyer also said what will be expressed to the XFinity managers in their meeting with series officials on Saturday in Darlington.

“I think it’s usually just to make them understand, or at least give them the message about how they can process what happened (last) on Saturday and how they learn from it and earn the respect of their competitors,” Sawyer said. “Nascar racing, we are built, pressure and push is good, tires are good and it is fine. It is a contact sport. We get it completely.

“But we have to go in from time to time if they cross the line, and we just want to let them know that it crosses the line and we will enter.

“You chase respect, you don’t have to love each other and understand it completely, but you have to respect each other and go there and chase as you have the ability to do. It requires zero talent, zero talent, to do some of the movements the guys made on Saturday. ‘