The tension in Nascar is red live, and this time, the epicenter of the drama has been Martinsville Speedway. Christopher Bell did not hold his anger and expressed his frustration sharply: “Enrageding. My blood boiled.” If a CUP series pilot with three consecutive victories in the season is so outraged, what can be expected from fans? The controversy after the Marine Corps 250 race shook the Nascar community, and the outrage focused on a JR Motorsports pilot.

The scandals are not oblivious to JR Motorsports in recent years. From the aggressiveness of Sam Mayer to the problems of Brandon Jones, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has faced several controversies. But this time, fans demanded measures, and Dale Jr.’s response was overwhelming.

GIVE EARNHARDT Jr. Ignore fans pressure

The outrage of Nascar’s followers is well founded. What Sammy Smith did in Martinsville ruined JR Motorsports’s successes. His team began the year with great force: Justin Allgaier achieved a Top 10 in Daytona 500, Connor Zilisch triumphed in Circuit of the Americas and Allgaier added consecutive victories in Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami. But Smith’s incident with Taylor Gray in the last lap thiled the team’s reputation.

Smith and Gray met several times during the race in Martinsville, but the trigger arrived when Gray supposedly made an obscene signal to Smith. In the last lap, Smith did not stop and rammed the back of Gray’s car, triggering a massive shock on the rear straight. What seemed like a desperate attempt to win ended up in disaster, leaving pilots, victims and enraged fans.

When Jr. published details about the distribution of Cars Tour awards, an amateur demanded to take action on the matter. The follower complained that Dale Jr. had kept “radial silence.” But Nascar’s legend responded firmly: “Do you think I must transmit how to handle these situations? Maybe, maybe not.”

Far from remaining silent, Dale Jr. also expressed his disappointment for the incident in Martinsville. “The track is historical and deserves something better,” he published in X. His frustration could have been greater because number 8 is closely linked to his legacy. Smith took him in his car, but he used it unfortunately.

Smith assumed the responsibility of his actions, but he did it also blaming Gray: “It was excessive, but he would have done the same with me. He does not respect me; he made me an obscene sign and threw himself against me.” These statements only reinforced the concern of the community about the lack of discipline among young pilots.

Brad Keselowski urges Dale Jr. to take action

Managing a racing team is not an easy task. Brad Keselowski, co -owner of RFK Racing, knows the challenges well. With a career full of successes, Keselowski understood the importance of imposing discipline on his pilots when he assumed the role of owner.

After Martinsville’s scandal, Keselowski urged Dale Jr. to be stricter with his drivers. “The solution must come from the owners of the teams, not from Nascar. Until the owners are willing to sanction their pilots for this type of actions, nothing will change,” he said in X.

The call to action is clear: pilots must assume responsibility for their actions. Mark Martin and Denny Hamlin also joined the discussion, suggesting that Nascar should display the black flag in cases like Smith’s. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell sentenced: “CUP series pilots respect each other more. What happened was a misfortune for sport.”

The pressure on Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still increasing. Will it take action or let the controversy continue to grow? The truth is that Martinsville’s scandal could mark a before and after in the management of JR Motorsports.