NASCAR’s been a rollercoaster lately, hasn’t it? The 2025 Martinsville race left us all buzzing and not in a good way. Tempers flared, wrecks piled up, and the old guard of the sport is fed up. It‘s not about racing anymore; it‘s about respect or disrespect. The young guns are ripping up the tracks, and the veterans? They‘re looking to throw punches, literally.

Then there‘s Tommy Baldwin Jr., a 58-year-old legend who‘s invested his soul in NASCAR. Following Martinsville‘s Xfinity madness, where crashes turned the track into a junkyard, he did not hesitate. Baldwin’s got a crazy solution.

“Clint Bowyer says if NASCAR is going to say Respect will fix it, then they‘re going to have to get those security guards out of the way so they can learn Respect. Spot on,” Elledge declared. Baldwin‘s replied with a “Hell yeah.” She re-doubles: “Spot on.” He‘s enthusiastic: “Hell yeah. Let‘s do it.”

Then Baldwin threw the punch: “If the drivers are going to do that, let‘s fight. Let‘s get it over with. Let‘s knock each other out and let‘s move on. Whoever‘s going to knock that guy out, not going to mess with him anymore.“ Let‘s do it was their motto. Kraft interrupts, cynical: “The other night, those two men were two men who wanted to fight but did not want to fight.” Baldwin wasn’t finished: “Our world is so soft right now because everyone is so afraid of the personal look and the outlash of social media, keyboard fingered people. That’s why I don’t care. I’m going to be as passionate as I possibly can. I’ve worked my a— off in this sport to do what I’ve done and all the accomplishments and unaccomplishments that I’ve done.” Baldwin’s words hit like a sledgehammer.

Consider legends such as Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty—they were as aggressive as hell, but they had respect etched into their bones. Dale Sr., with 76 Cup victories, intimidated everyone, bumping and banging his way to seven championships. Richard Petty, “The King,” accumulated 200 wins, seven of them the Daytona 500, with a competitive style that still brought him handshakes post-race. They raced hard, crashed when necessary, but they understood the unwritten code: respect the sport, the machinery, and the men who made it so. Kids today lack that heart, and it‘s ripping the soul out of NASCAR.

“These kids, they didn‘t. These kids do not tinker on their cars. They are not raised to work on their vehicles. They don‘t do anything on these race cars. They have no concern in the world, on taking care of these cars, or the individuals that work on them all these hours, and all the things that they do, and it‘s a total embarrassment. So, NASCAR, open it up. If they‘re going to do it, let them fight, let them knock each other out, and let‘s get on with it.” Baldwin added.

Denny Hamlin’s analysis of Martinsville backs this up: it’s chaos, not racing. In the meantime, Christopher Bell‘s out there promising to gain Kyle Busch‘s respect the hard way: “I would love it if this is a turning point for us where we’re able to race respectfully, stay off each other, and make it less of a contact sport.” 

And it’s not just Baldwin or Hamlin saying this.

Other experts are in tune with the “respect” dilemma

Jeff Burton, another voice of reason, isn‘t buying the “talentless“ moniker some are tossing at the Xfinity drivers. He‘s angry, however. “It‘s not that they‘re not talented; it‘s that there‘s the lack of respect, the lack of accountability, right, for these kind of actions,” Burton said. He‘s demanding NASCAR get tough with tougher penalties—both in and out of races—to end the craziness. The Martinsville Xfinity race wasn‘t only a debacle at the end; it was a disaster start to finish.

And the drivers are catching hell for it as well. Jeb Burton, caught up in the last-lap crash, wasn’t shy about his disgust: “It’s sad when no one drives with any respect. I came from dead last tonight with no damage and we destroyed our car for what? Embarrassing.” Jeremy Clements, a veteran with over 500 Xfinity starts, echoed that pain: “Really disappointed in the lack of respect on the track tonight. It’s a disgrace to this great series. Not many out there raced without just running into the guy in front of them.” Even reigning champ Justin Allgaier couldn’t stomach it: “Twenty years ago, we didn’t race like this.” These guys are hurting—for their cars, their teams, and the sport they love.

Burton craves rules; Baldwin craves fists. Either one, something‘s gotta give. NASCAR‘s at a crossroads—continue letting the kids be wild, or restore the respect this sport was founded upon? What do you think fists or fines?