NASCAR penalizes 3 Xfinity drivers for Martinsville incidents

NASCAR announced a multitude of penalties stemming from the NASCAR race weekend at Martinsville Speedway on Tuesday (April 1).

Sammy Smith was fined $25,000 and docked 50 points for the last-lap incident in the Xfinity Series race Saturday.

Prior to the penalty, Smith was sixth in points with a 49-point cushion over the playoff cutline. Now, Smith is 14th in the standings and 13th overall on the playoff grid with a 1-point deficit to Taylor Gray.

Additionally, Jeb Burton and Taylor Gray were fined $5,000 each for “Infield Care Center Conduct.”

Sheldon Creed’s No. 00 team and Rajah Caruth’s No. 71 Truck team were fined $5,000 and $2,500 respectively for loose lugnut violations.

While Shane Van Gisbergen’s No. 88 team lost two members for the next two championship points events after losing a tire during Cup race, the Trackhouse Racing team did not face any points or monetary penalties.

NASCAR announced Sunday post-race they were taking the No. 10 Chevrolet of Ty Dillon and No. 43 Toyota of Erik Jones back to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C. for further inspection.

Neither team received a penalty from the additional inspection. Jones was disqualified post-race Sunday after his No. 43 Toyota failing to meet minimum weight.