The last lap in the Dead on Tools 250 could have been an entire race in itself. Seven playoff drivers wrestled to acquire the remaining three championship positions in Martinsville. Sparks flew, teammates clashed, and a JR Motorsports driver emerged victorious. And yet team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not entirely pleased when he saw the replay.

When the entire racing community was engrossed with the events unfolding at Richard Childress Racing, the 2X Xfinity champion uncovered another gross injustice that flew under the radar.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s insider made backstabbing allegations against the Joe Gibbs Racing driver

The penultimate race in the Xfinity season went about its usual business until a last-lap restart violently shook up the playoff field. Dale Jr.’s #1 driver, Sam Mayer, had already qualified through his win at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. It appeared one of RCR’s two playoff contenders would follow suit. However, the race results drastically altered when race leaders Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed collided moments before the finish line, paving the way for Justin Allgaier to squeeze past them. In this confusion, no one paid attention to another set of teammate rivals right behind them.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s #20 driver, John Hunter Nemechek, entered Martinsville with a comfortable cushion of 44 points. Conversely, his #18 teammate Sammy Smith was 49 points below the cut line and was in a must-win situation. Smith, who eventually finished 3rd, felt he missed his chance to win the race due to a lack of support from his JGR teammate. His 2024 team owner, Dale Jr., was the eyes and ears of the race, but the undercurrents of discord still escaped him because, as Junior eloquently put it, “There was so much **** that happened!”

Watch this story: Dale Earnhardt Jr Voices Concerns Over NASCAR’s Short Track Issues

In the Dale Jr Download, the Hall of Famer and his associate Mike Davis revisited the carnage unleashed at the Martinsville Speedway. It was Davis who first exclaimed, “He [Sammy Smith] got scr**ed!” He continued. “Everybody was talking about bad teammates at RCR. I think we can talk about JGR first, honestly.” Dale Jr confessed, “It wasn’t until after the race when I heard comments that I went, ‘Oh okay, I really didn’t feel that way at the moment but I can see how you could expect more out of John Hunter at that moment.” But what did Nemechek, a Cup star in the making, actually do to rifle veteran feathers?

Richard Childress Racing’s playoff fate in Martinsville awaits Dale Junior

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A racer’s team, including his teammates, forms the quintessential support system for a race, especially in crucial moments. Whether it was Brad Kesewloski aiding Chris Buescher’s victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 this season or Ryan Blaney anchoring Joey Logano’s championship ride last year, NASCAR has a longstanding history of mutual understanding between drivers from the same team. In the Xfinity race in Martinsville, however, there was an obvious lack of communication between teams and their drivers regarding teammate responsibility. 

For instance, in this case, Sammy Smith expected John Hunter Nemechek to assist in Smith’s win instead of apparently acting as a hindrance. Dale Earnhardt Jr explained, “He [Smith] was asking for the bottom [position], wanted #20 to take the top [position] in the second row of the final restart. John Hunter Nemechek takes the bottom, Sammy takes the bottom so now Sammy’s lining up 5th.” Junior continued, “The car that lined up 4th on the outside wins the race, Justin Allgaier.” As a result, Allgaier qualified and Smith was eliminated. Now, the latter has indicated that he wouldn’t be too keen to be the good guy to help Nemechek.

A disgruntled Smith warned in the post-race interview that Nemechek was essentially on his own in the championship race and would not get assistance from the #18 driver in the #20 driver’s title aims. Interestingly, in the final race in Phoenix, teammates from JR Motorsports will compete for the same trophy. Will Dale Earnhardt Jr find himself in Richard Childress’ troubled shoes this weekend?

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