Following a disastrous finish to the Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR industry members have spoken out about the drivers’ actions during Saturday’s race. Now, FOX Sports’ Kevin Harvick has joined the fray with comments from the latest episode of his podcast.
In the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, the former NASCAR Cup Series champion not only called out Xfinity Series drivers for Saturday’s calamity but also NASCAR officials. As many drivers and fans pointed out following the race, if it had happened in any other racing series aside from NASCAR, penalties would have been handed out during the race.
Harvick, who races part-time on short tracks and is a co-owner of the CARS Tour, has experience with such decisions. “At some point, NASCAR is gonna have to get involved to issue the penalties quicker,” Harvick said. “We’ve got to make some accountability and some decisions right off the bat to enforce that accountability right on the spot.”
These comments stem from multiple incidents during Saturday’s US Marine Corps 250 at Martinsville. However, in particular, Harvick is commenting on Sammy Smith, who punted race leader Taylor Gray in the final turn of the race in a last-ditch effort to win. Neither driver won, as the resulting pileup allowed Richard Childress Rcaing’s Austin Hill to slip through for the win. NASCAR has yet to punish Smith, who walked away with a top-ten, for this incident.
Harvick, a former Xfinity Series Champion, went on to say that NASCAR’s failure to punish Smith on the spot would not have happened during his time racing in the series. He clarifies that he was not innocent of such actions; rather, he would suffer the consequences after the race in the infamous NASCAR Hauler at the hand of former NASCAR President Mike Helton.
“They [Xfinity Series drivers] don’t even really care what they say; they don’t care what they do. I know when I was their age, I would do the same things, but my ass would be in the trailer, getting my ass reamed out by Mike Helton, with Jim Hunter standing outside the door laughing and Bill France Jr wanting to know when I was gonna get suspended, because [I] made a mockery out of our show. And that’s what it [Martinsville] was. It was an absolute disaster.” — Kevin Harvick
NASCAR typically assesses penalties on Tuesdays. However, a potentially high-profile, high-stakes penalty, such as this one, can take longer.
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