FOX booth blasts NASCAR series as a 'dumpster fire'

A number of key NASCAR figures have hit out at the current state of the Xfinity Series, after a chaotic end to Saturday's race at Martinsville.

The last 50 or so laps of Saturday's race devolved into a run or cautions broken up by brief periods of green flag running, and things came to a head when the race was running to an end in overtime.

Sammy Smith came from some three car lengths back to dart down the inside of leader Taylor Gray, coming nowhere near making an actual pass but pitching Gray into a spin, causing a chain reaction which saw the race end in a huge cloud of tyre smoke and dust.

Austin Hill miraculously came through the havoc unscathed for his second win of the season, passing a number of wrecking and spinning cars ahead of him.

READ MORE: NASCAR Results Today: Denny Hamlin produces dominant Martinsville drive as star suffers disqualification blow

Xfinity Series 'less contained' than a dumpster fire

The announcing team for Sunday's Cup Series race had a lot to say about the growing feeling that younger NASCAR drivers have lost respect for the art of clean racing, with play by play man Mike Joy saying: “I said [earlier in the race] the Xfinity Series was a dumpster fire, it’s not. A dumpster fire is contained, and that series is not right now.”

Joy was joined in the booth on Sunday by Cup Series greats and Xfinity Series champions Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, who offered their experienced perspectives on the state of the series.

Harvick, on whose podcast Kyle Petty complained about young NASCAR drivers just last week, said: “It’s not what we all wanna watch and not the racing that we were brought up in. It’s unfortunate that we had to watch all that.”

Meanwhile Bowyer, talking specifically about Smith's outrageous late lunge on Gray, added: "That needs to be a penalty. If it’s that blatant and that outlandish, that is a simple answer to me.”

READ MORE: Michael Jordan's 23XI suffer championship setback as star plummets following Martinsville disqualification

Related

NASCAR

Denny Hamlin slams 'IDIOTS' after chaotic Martinsville finish

• March 31, 2025 15:15

NASCAR Xfinity Series

NASCAR stars in HEATED confrontation after controversial Martinsville finish

• March 31, 2025 01:45