Here’s the (extremely questionable) finish to tonight’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Martinsville…
Austin Hill wins, after Sammy Smith hurdles his No. 8 Chevrolet into Taylor Gray in the final corner.#NASCAR
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) March 30, 2025
Austin Hill… somehow, is the winner of Saturday’s US Marine Corps 250 at Martinsville Speedway, after a dramatic sequence of events saw the Richard Childress Racing driver move from fifth to first in the final set of corners.
Hill wasn’t even involved in the discussion for the victory as the field went into NASCAR Overtime, sitting on the third row for the restart with two laps remaining, when all hell broke loose in front of him.
Taylor Gray, who led the majority of the race’s final stage at Martinsville, was going at it with Sammy Smith for the last couple of restarts, as Smith had moved the Joe Gibbs Racing driver on the penultimate sprint to the finish.
On this restart, though, Gray got his payback, shoving Smith up the racetrack and clearing the JR Motorsports driver for the lead. But, just when the driver of the No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra looked to be safe, Smith lunged into the final corner and took him out.
The field behind the leaders turned into total chaos, with cars wrecking everywhere, and Austin Hill sneaking through on the inside lane to make it to the start-finish line first, collecting his 12th NASCAR Xfinity Series win.
Needless to say, Taylor Gray wasn’t pleased — and neither were the five-plus vehicles that sustained massive damage in the wreck as they crossed the start-finish line.
Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, Brennan Poole, and Sam Mayer rounded out the top-five.
