“Everybody thinks you’re a spoiled punk. That’s what a lot of people think,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. told Sammy Smith after his Martinsville mess, hoping to knock some sense into his young driver. But judging by what happened at Rockingham, it seems Sammy didn’t quite take the lesson to heart. The aggressive youngster, still carrying the “dirty driver” label from his payback move at Martinsville, found himself in the headlines again. But this time, for a good result aided by sheer luck.

The result was so good that it helped wash away the sting of that 50-point penalty and even ensured that the driver isn’t knocked out of the Xfinity Championship race, irrespective of the outcome of the future Stage races. It’s the kind of ironic NASCAR drama you can’t script, and it’s got the garage talking all over again.

Sammy Smith’s rough-and-tumble reputation hit its peak at Martinsville earlier this season. The young JR Motorsports driver made headlines after blatantly wrecking Taylor Gray during a heated exchange. The aftermath wasn’t pretty, as we all know, NASCAR handed Smith a $25,000 fine along with a 50-point penalty. The latter, at the time, looked like, might derail his entire Xfinity playoff campaign.

But Rockingham brought one of those wild NASCAR plot twists. Sammy Smith held the lead for a major chunk of the race. And with Kasey Kahne stuck in fourth place, the win seemed like it was in the back, until overtime hit. In a daring move, Jesse Love made a mad dash down the inside, and all Smith could do was sit and watch as his rival took the checkered flag. Celebrations erupted, and it looked like Smith’s shot at the playoffs was taken away. Love was already in the Victory Lane. Nothing could change, right?

As Eric Estepp put it, “Congratulations, I guess, to Sammy Smith who finished second on Saturday afternoon but is now credited with the win.” Love crossed the line first at ‘The Rock,’ but a post-race inspection took him out of contention. He was deemed to have violated Rule 14.14.2.I-5.h, which covers trailing arm spacers and pinion angle shims. This, luckily, pushed Smith to the top of the board and, most importantly, into the playoffs.

Estepp summed up the shift perfectly: “Suddenly that 50-point penalty from Martinsville doesn’t sting so bad.” The penalty that once jeopardized Smith’s season seemed irrelevant in a flash, as he secured his playoff berth in a way nobody, perhaps not even Smith himself, saw coming. That’s NASCAR for you, always a little unpredictable.

Speaking about his win, Smith said, “It’s a tough way to win that, but I feel like we’ll take ’em any way we can get ’em. We waited here to see what happens, but overall, it was a good day, and I’m very happy with the progress we’ve made recently. I’m kind of speechless, to be honest with you. There’s obviously been some issues for about two hours now, so me and my crew chief stayed around. I’ve got nowhere else to be besides church tomorrow for Easter, and decided to hang around for a little bit. So, I’m glad I stayed.” 

And it wasn’t just dumb luck, Estepp highlighted the irony too: “Sometimes this is just how the cookie crumbles, you know, like Sammy Smith deserved payback to some degree for what he did at Martinsville.” Rockingham was supposed to be Jesse Love’s moment of payback, but NASCAR’s tech shed had other plans.

RCR appeals Jesse Love’s disqualification

Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has officially appealed the disqualification of Jesse Love following the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway. Love initially crossed the finish line first in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250. However, post-race inspection revealed that Love’s No. 2 Chevrolet violated the NASCAR rule mentioned earlier. The rule requires all mating surfaces between the truck trailing arm and the U-bolt saddle in the rear suspension to be in complete contact.

The technical infraction centers on the rear axle assembly, where a gap greater than 0.010 inches between the components can suggest the use of lower torque to allow more flex. This, as per NASCAR, potentially provides a competitive advantage. While such gaps can sometimes result from contact during the race, NASCAR maintains strict standards and checks these tolerances in post-race teardown. RCR believes the penalty is not justified and that the infraction was not intentional. Thus, they have opted to challenge the decision.

Appealing a race disqualification is a difficult process and rarely results in a reversal, especially when the infraction involves a measurable technical violation. The National Motorsports Appeals Panel will hear RCR’s arguments, and its decision will be final. Notably, Dale Earnhardt Jr., owner of the winning car, acknowledged on social media that his own team previously had a similar infraction overturned on appeal, adding intrigue to the situation.

Jesse Love joked, “Good thing my house has a safe.” If RCR’s appeal fails, Love loses a crucial non-superspeedway win and valuable points, while Smith secures his first victory of the season. The case will be closely watched as the appeals process unfolds.