The Wawa 250 was wild from the start, but things really exploded by Lap 30. A multi-car wreck left Joe Gibbs Racing driver Taylor Gray furious and unfiltered. His post-race outburst lit up social media, turning heads across the garage. And with weather delays, dramatic spins, and playoff-shaking wrecks throughout the night, the chaos wasn’t limited to just one moment.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race started off like a firecracker ready to blow. Sam Mayer muscled the lead from the outside, with Sammy Smith lurking inside, and the action only got hotter from there. By Lap 10, Harrison Burton was already sent into a dramatic slide down the backstretch after contact with Matt DiBenedetto. Somehow, no yellow flag flew.

Not long after, Connor Zilisch tagged out for Parker Kligerman in a mid-race shuffle, and by Lap 22, Mother Nature herself decided she wanted a piece of the show, throwing the red flag for weather. When the race finally resumed, the pack bunched up tighter than rush-hour traffic, and chaos wasn’t far behind. Let’s just say Stage 1 didn’t end quietly; it ended with tempers boiling over from the Joe Gibbs driver.

Chaos at lap 30 leaves Joe Gibbs Racing driver fuming

The tension hit a boiling point on Lap 29, when Sammy Smith (No.8) dove inside, mounting an aggressive challenge for the lead in Turn 3. One lap later, it all unraveled near the front of the pack.

As Smith powered ahead, Carson Kvapil and Taylor Gray got caught in a chain-reaction melee while running inside the top five. Both were knocked sideways, with Gray sliding hard onto the apron after contact. Behind them, Dean Thompson, Jeb Burton, Blaine Perkins, and Nick Sanchez all sustained damage in the mess.

With cars scattering, the caution flag flew immediately, freezing the field as Smith held the top spot. The wreck may have only lasted a few seconds, but its fallout lingered far longer, especially for Gray. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver sustained the most damage and, naturally, walked away from the incident furious and unfiltered.

“It’s f–king bizarre to me that some of these f–king idiots race in the second-highest level series. Like what the f**k,” Gray vented after climbing out of his car. If we take a deeper look at it, his anger wasn’t just about the wreck. Rather, it was about timing. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver sits 11th out of 12 playoff drivers on points.

More importantly, he still doesn’t have a win this season. With only three races left, including Daytona, every lap, every stage point, and every shot at victory is critical. For him, another DNF or missing out on playoff points isn’t just frustrating. Instead, it could be the difference between chasing a championship and sitting at home.

More misfortune for Taylor Gray

The Lap 30 crash that ruined No. 54 Toyota GR Supra driver Taylor Gray’s momentum wasn’t the end of the trouble for Joe Gibbs Racing. If anything, the second stage piled on the frustration. On Lap 58, Austin Hill went for the lead entering Turn 3 when Sheldon Creed made slight contact. Hill managed to save the car, but the chaos behind him proved costly.

Sammy Smith, who had already shown strength by leading laps earlier, got turned sideways coming off Turn 4. As the field scrambled, his spin collected JGR teammates Brandon Jones (No. 20) and William Sawalich (No.18), while Taylor Gray (already on edge from his earlier incident) picked up even more damage.

What made things sting even more for Joe Gibbs Racing was the lack of any recovery. Despite having multiple bullets in the chamber, the organization simply couldn’t put together a late-race charge. With just 14 laps to go, none of their cars were inside the top three. Now, this is a sobering sight for a powerhouse team that is used to seeing its cars battle for wins rather than nurse damage.

While Jones has secured a playoff spot, thanks to his Darlington win in April, Sawalich and Gray are yet to secure their spots. Moreover, Sawalich sits outside the playoff cutoff line in 20th position. He is 181 points down from the cutoff. And the way the Daytona race is shaping up, it’s looking more like a must-win situation than a points battle for Sawalich (which looks unlikely).

For Gray, Smith, Jones, and Sawalich, the night was a brutal reminder of how quickly things can unravel in the Xfinity Series. And with playoff drama tightening by the week, JGR has some serious regrouping to do. The race is still on. Hopefully, the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers can salvage some momentum before the checkered flag falls.