Sammy Smith joined JR Motorsports with plenty of expectations in 2024. However, three seasons later, it’s safe to say he hasn’t quite lived up to them. He has rarely been a genuine Championship contender, with much of his season instead spent fighting to hold on to a postseason spot. Through it all, Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued to stand behind him, supporting Smith through both the highs and the lows. There have certainly been plenty of the latter.

“Sammy worked really hard. If you go back to Martinsville, where he tries to take out the Gray kid, that was a low point for sure. And I’m going to tell you, man, we asked him to do the work. We asked him to get better. We asked him to make better decisions,” Dale Jr. said on his Dale Jr. Download podcast.

He was referring to last year’s incident at Martinsville, when Smith, in a desperate attempt to win the Marine Corps 250, drove into the rear bumper of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Taylor Gray and spun him out. The move backfired horribly, as Smith spun himself in the process, triggering a multi-car incident that also collected his JRM teammate, Justin Allgaier. Dale Jr. was understandably furious.

But as the Hall of Famer revealed on the podcast, Smith did improve. There have been incidents here and there, which Dale Jr. feels is fine for a driver in NASCAR. However, Smith learned where to draw the line, which was evident when he missed out on the Championship 4 last year in the Fall Martinsville race.

He was once again behind Gray’s No. 54, chasing him for the win and a chance to advance in the playoffs. This time, however, Smith did not attempt another ultra-aggressive move, instead settling for a runner-up finish. After the race, he admitted, according to NASCAR.com, “Obviously, I didn’t want to do it that way anyway, and he was the better car today.”

Overall, Dale Jr. saw Smith grow both as a driver and as a person, but the results never quite matched the expectations surrounding him. Smith won a race in both 2024 and 2025 and made the postseason in each campaign, but finishes of 11th and eighth, respectively, fell short of the high-level expectations the garage had for him. This season, he remains winless, although he has recorded six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes and has locked himself into the playoffs. Now, Dale Jr. hopes Smith can end their time together on a high note.

“There’s still some racing to do before the end of the year. He could pop off a win or so to finish this off on a good note, but I will say that I enjoyed having Sammy in the building,” the JRM owner added.

Smith announced his departure from the team on August 26, saying he was looking for a fresh start. He thanked Dale Jr. and Co. for the work they put in on his development over the last three years, and declared that he would go all in for the Championship.

Dale Jr.’s camp was quick to respond, announcing that their talented youngster Carson Kvapil will take over the No. 8 Chevrolet in 2027. As for Smith, nothing is official yet, but silly-season rumors have him heading to Haas Factory Team, where he would replace Sam Mayer, another former Dale Jr. protege. Mayer, meanwhile, could make his way back to JRM, potentially taking over Kvapil’s No. 1 Chevrolet.

For Smith, the Martinsville incident remains a clear low point, but he has shown that he can learn from his mistakes. With a fresh start ahead, the focus will now be on turning that growth into more consistent results. Dale Jr. believes Smith still has plenty of time to improve, given how young he is.