NASCAR was spot on with its playoff finisher at the half-a-mile track in Martinsville. Both the Cup and the Xfinity Series went down as blockbuster events, going beyond fans’ predictions, and quenching their insatiable thirst for drama. In fact, the past week’s Xfinity race saw one of the most fierce battles between teammates in recent times with the #21 and #2 RCR drivers going at it hard on the closing lap of the race. Soon after the race, the world came down crashing on Sheldon Creed, alleging that he wrecked his teammate and regular season champion, Austin Hill.

Richard Childress himself denounced the 26-year-old’s action, deeming it “stupid” and uncalled for. However, not everyone is of the same opinion. Reflecting on RCR’s Martinsville meltdown, NASCAR veteran and NBC commentator Dale Earnhardt Jr gave his honest take, backing Creed as he dismissed the whole “intentional” narrative given the bad blood between the teammates.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes to Creed’s aid as he strongly defends the 26YO

The setting was perfect, and Richard Childress was exuding pride as he witnessed his #21 and #2 cars going side by side into the final lap first and second until things quickly got out of hand. With the championship spot on the line, the drivers packed extra oomph, fiercely competing against one another to make the most of their day.

While this meant a dramatic finish for fans, it wasn’t a great setting for a team owner or a driver. After the race-winning Chevy of Justin Allgaier crossed a checkered flag, a vicious multi-car pile-up was seen in the backstretch owing to the intense back and forth between the RCR cars.

Regular season champion Austin Hill needed a win to advance into the final four, as did his teammate Sheldon Creed. With that on the line, the two Chevys went at it from the get-go, giving us fans one intense final lap exchange that will be remembered for the ages. The two drivers exchanged blows coming into the final turns until Hill was spun into the oncoming traffic behind him, causing a massive pile-up.

Sheldon Creed crossed the finish line second, while his teammate Hill couldn’t even finish the race. Consequently, all hell broke loose as the RCR owner himself called out Creed for his actions. Fortunately for the youngster, not everyone was against him. Speaking on the latest Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Jr. publicly defended Creed, dismissing any foul play.

He said, “I just don’t see anything wrong with what Sheldon Creed did; I even looking at, you know, what was deemed or considered a break check by some people in (turns) 3 and 4, I don’t think it was. I think he got ran, you know I think that he got ran into and was, his position in the middle of that corner was not a good one to be able to get on throttle and exit out of there.”

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Dale Jr dismisses the “intentional” angle as he dissects the stunt scene by scene

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Now, when push comes to shove, every man is for himself. So was Sheldon Creed. While the driver is rumored to ditch the Chevy camp and move to Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2024 season, his intentions were to win the race and secure a spot in the final 4. Reflecting on this, Junior emphasized his point as he pushed away a purposeful wreck by the #2 driver to ruin his teammate’s day.

The NBC commentator then detailed the whole stint, scene by scene. “Aimed toward the gate, and he had to stop the car to get it to rotate to get the front turn and be able to then throttle up out of the corner, and as he’s breaking, the #21 is throttling up, and it didn’t take a whole lot to knock the dang radiator out of that #21 car. You know, I mean, he hit him hard, but we saw many cars knock the hoods off their cars throughout that race and survive that, right?” said the 49-year-old.

He further added, “Now to, it’s easy to knock the damn radiator out of a car in Martinsville, I’ve done it. I don’t think it was like, This is intentional. Man, I’m gonna slam on the breaks; screw this #21 car; there’s no way that Creed isn’t trying to get to the finish line first.”  

READ MORE: “It’s a Bad Look”: NASCAR Journalist Defends Richard Childress’s Public Relations Nightmare After Martinsville

What do you think? Was Creed’s action a bit too on the harsh side? Or was it just another instance of rubbing and racing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.