FIRE AND ICE – Everything Right And Wrong From NASCAR’s Spring Outing At Martinsville

“He would have done the exact same thing and that’s what I told him…”

Sammy Smith

Martinsville Speedway proved once again that it will bring out the truth of the moment in the car, the team, and the driver of any series that runs there. Not only is it one of the toughest tracks on the circuit, it’s also a winner’s circle bucket list for every driver that races there, no matter what they tell you. Given the chance, they’ll show you what they’d do to win there, and what’s become obvious is that the famous Grandfather Clock means more than what you see at first glance. And this year at NASCAR’s spring premier racing weekend at “The Short Track”, the paperclip shaped 0.526 mile speedway brought out the very best and the very worst in NASCAR’s top tier drivers and teams. For the fans, it was nothing short of fire and ice.

The Craftsman Truck Series Boys & Girls Club Of The Blue Ridge 200 was the perfect example of how important young drivers feel it is to make a name for themselves as they make a run up the ladder of NASCAR. And of course part of that is taking home a Grandfather Clock, meaning a hard fought win at Martinsville Speedway. Rising star Corey Heim seemed to have matters in hand as he took home the first 2 stages in the event. Down the stretch however he had a run in with rookie driver and 2021 Short Track Report Blue Collar Racer Of The Year Kaden Honeycutt as the two jockeyed for the top position. Subsequently they made contact as Heim was trying to take back the lead as the two went in to turn one in the later stages of the race, cutting Heim’s tire down and ending his run at the win. In what could be considered a bit of karma by some, shortly after, Ty Majeski wheel hopped under Honeycutt as they battled for the top spot, also ending both of their chances at the win as well. Kaden Honeycutt would have to settle for 26th as Majeski was able to charge back to a 13th place finish. And speaking of charging back, Corey Heim was able to better that, showing how good his truck surely was by bringing his machine back to 6th. In the end however, Daniel Hemric found himself in the right place at the right time when it counted, and secured his first Craftsman Truck Series victory.

In the Xfinity Series US Marine Corps 250, it was a pair of JR Motorsports rookies on the front row. But as strategies started to play out, it was those same rookies in a pair incidents that for all intensive purposes took them both out of contention for the win as a new set of players found themselves up front when it counted the most. In a race where every inch of the track was contested in a heated battle throughout the field, it was Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith battling for the point. Gray was at the top of his game coming out on top of a number of restarts as the field tried to sort it all out, but Smith did manage to come out on top on one of those restarts only to see Gray back up front in the closing laps. As they came to the line to decide it however, Sammy Smith, not content with a second place finish, came from over 3 and a half to 4 car lengths back and used Taylor Gray’s back bumper as a brake, essentially taking both drivers out, and leading to a complete melee coming to the line that saw Austin Hill score Richard Childress Racing their 100th Xfinity Series victory while seeing Sheldon Creed coming home 2nd with Justin Allgaier finishing 3rd.

The crowd came in on Sunday as festive as you can imagine with high hopes of seeing as competitive a race as the Cup Series put on last fall in the Playoffs. Christopher Bell was ripe to make all things right from what went wrong in the series’ last outing at Martinsville as he showed great speed in practice and followed it up with a great qualifying lap good enough for the pole and the opportunity to lead the field to green in the Cook Out 400. Joey Logano and crew ending up taking the first stage however as they played a bit of pit strategy and earned themselves some coveted stage points that they hope to use at the end of the year when Playoff time comes around. They still have a lot of work to do however but they managed to use that stage win as momentum to score their first top 10 of the year. In the end it was Christopher Bell chasing Denny Hamlin to no avail as Hamlin and his #11 Joe Gibbs Racing team were absolutely flawless, stretching the lead in the closing laps. It took 10 years for Hamlin to return to victory at one of his most successful tracks, but it was obvious from his media press room comments after the race that it was one of the sweetest moments in his career.

THE FIRE

The fire from this event starts with the track itself and it’s fans. Martinsville always makes its events a fan friendly affair. Whether it’s Late Models, it’s premier Cup Series races or anywhere in between, Martinsville has a flair for the “big event” mentality that gives the fans their money’s worth. And since there’s not a bad seat in the house, the fans that show up to see a race get one of the best racing views in the business, making it one of the very best places to see exciting short track racing. The stock car racing fans this weekend got an up close look at Daniel Hemric taking a popular victory in his very first Craftsman Truck Series win. One that was bigger than you might imagine for the former 2021 Xfinity Series Champion. You could feel the excitement from his team and his family in victory lane. This is a win they’ll cherish for a long time and if the memory ever does start to fade, the chime of his first Grandfather Clock will forever be a reminder. For JR Motorsports, seeing their 2 rookies leading the Xfinity Series field to green had to be something for them to behold. And even though it didn’t hold up through the race, for the moment, seeing that young outstanding talent side by side in front of the field coming to green had to be pure fire. And say what you want about him, Denny Hamlin and his crew put up an absolutely flawless race that sees Hamlin win at least one race in the last 7 seasons. And win 55 should be enough to show everyone that he is far from fading as a now elder statesman in the series.

THE ICE

Martinsville, as I stated at the beginning of this articl,e can reveal a lot about a driver. It’s a track that puts you head to head on even ground with your competitors. It’ll definitely bring out the fire in you. The racing this weekend had plenty of race challenging moments. That said however, we can’t escape the elephant in the room. Sammy Smith said and I quote, “He would have done the same to me and that’s what I told him…” (talking about Taylor Gray), but personally I’m not sure of that. I am sure that that’s what Sammy was telling himself as he went Bonsai for the win. But I think Taylor Gray’s spotter Tony Hirschman said it best – (speaking about Sammy Smith) “”I wasn’t gonna finish second…”” Well you didn’t – You finished 10th with a destroyed race car that your guys busted their butts on, along with a lot of other destroyed race cars that you caused. As well as losing all respect of your peers and most everyone in the garage.” I haven’t heard anyone say it better. Listen…as our readers know, we believe in the phrase “Rubbins’ Racin”. We came to love the sport growing up at Bowman Gray Stadium and we know that speaks for itself. But coming from 3 and a half to 4 car lengths back to intentionally ram a guy that’s been better for the bulk of the restarts at the end is nothing short of egregious. Even Sammy Smith used the same word to describe it. To know it was and to do it anyway is a line too far. And now NASCAR has had to issue a penalty. They are setting precedents that lead to judgement calls and I NEVER like that type of scenario. It’s bound to lead to mistakes. But Sammy Smith has left them having to make a call here. I still don’t like it. I’d like for it to be settled on, (and sometimes off if need be), the track between competitors. What Smith doesn’t realize is that he now has a bullseye on his back and he put it there. There will no longer be a question on how he should be raced for a win going forward. He says he doesn’t care what anybody else thinks. But my guess is that he will soon. I of course could be wrong, but in my opinion he’s picked up a shovel and dug up some dirt and only time will tell how big a hole he’s dug for himself. Until next time, See You At The Track!