NASCAR has penalized Sammy Smith 50 points and fined him $25,000 for wrecking Taylor Gray from the lead on the final lap of last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway. The penalty drops Smith from sixth in the points to 13th in the points heading into Saturday’s race at Darlington Raceway.

A wreck- and caution-filled Xfinity Series at Martinsville drew criticism in the Cup Series garage and put a spotlight on a tricky problem.

NASCAR Cup drivers are anticipating how the league will react to Martinsville's controversial Xfinity race because the ruling could eventually impact them, too.