NASCAR’s officiating and decision-making process has raised eyebrows this season. Not only the Cup Series but the Xfinity Series has seen a string of questionable calls that have hampered teams and driver’s objectives. JR Motorsports was one of the teams that felt the wrath of sketchy officiating calls, which almost washed out Sam Mayer and the #1 team’s title hopes.

The #5 Chevy car was disqualified after a post-race inspection in the Round of 12 race at Talladega Speedway. Initially, Mayer finished 16th, but the rear of his race car being too low resulted in his disqualification and was credited with a last-place finish. This was indeed a huge blow to the team’s hopes of making it to the next round. What enraged Dale Earnhardt Jr. further was that their appeal against this call was also rejected. And this is when he gave his driver a free hand to go all guns blazing in his next race at Roval.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to see his driver in the next round at all cost

Usually, Dale Jr. doesn’t prefer his race car drivers to go bumper to bumper with their rivals, even if it’s a crucial playoff race. He likes his drivers to race clean, smart, and strategically without causing unnecessary trouble on the racetrack. “Couple years ago we did that; I was so pissed off. So let’s just not be clowns; let’s be great, and if you can’t be great, be smart.”

However, things changed when NASCAR stayed firm on its decision to DQ Sam Mayer after the Talladega race. Appalled by the verdict, Dale Jr. wanted Mayer to clinch the Roval race, and he wanted to see more than just fender-bending action to convey his message. Sam Mayer did win at Roval and locked himself for the Round of 8, but he chose to do it the right way, without ruffling any feathers.

“So I told Sam Mayer, dude, they just wrote our pass; you go to Roval; I don’t care what you do; I don’t care who you drive through; you go out there, and it’s a bar fight now. I was like, you got out there and you just win I don’t care how you have to do it, you’ve got a pass. They’ve put us in this position; it’s on, carnage man,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on his podcast JDJ.

Call it coincidence or fate, both Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith are now in a must-win scenario going into Martinsville weekend. And guess what? Dale Jr. wants his drivers to take off their gloves and give it their all in a crucial race that could see them competing for the championship.

Expect chaos and drama in the Xfinity Series playoff race at Martinsville

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It looks like Sam Mayer will need another clutch performance to stay alive in the title race with just one race to go in the Round of 8. A P14 finish at Las Vegas and a 9th place finish at Homestead last weekend haven’t been all too great for the driver. With 47 points adrift of the cutline, a win is the only resort for the #1 team. Meanwhile, Sammy Smith finds himself in the same boat with a 95-point difference.

A win is what the two drivers will need at Martinsville to have a shot to win the championship. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. has once again given his drivers a clear message about what they need to do this weekend. “Maybe I shouldn’t worry about who’s feelings we hurt, who’s angry at us when it’s all said and done. Do whatever you gotta do, Martinsville is an elimination race and the round before the finals it’s a recipe for freaking disaster, so let’s be part of the disaster,” he added.

A.J. Allmendinger and Austin Hill have locked their spot in the Championship 4 race. So the JRM drivers will be fighting for the remaining two in what is touted to be a thrilling Xfinity Series playoff race.