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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Sat In NASCAR Driver's Pit Box For Support

Originally posted on The Spun | By Matt Hladik | Last updated Apr 6, 2025 1:24 PM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr. did a little bit extra on Saturday to show support for one of his team's drivers.

During last Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Martinsville, Sammy Smith, who drives the No. 8 Chevy for JR Motorsports, caused a wreck on the final lap while aggressively trying to gain position. Smith not only rear-ended Taylor Gray, who was leading the race, but also caused several other cars to pile up, altering the final standings for the event.

"Sammy Smith pretty much said, 'I don't care what he thinks. I don't care what they think, I'm doing what I think I had to do, I have no respect for guy.' Well, what about the guys that have to go back and fix your car?" asked NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick last week.

"I know that I've had my ass reamed by my team. They hated me when I would do dumb stuff like that. ... Want to see them bang doors. I want to see them push each other out of the way. But I don't want to see them drive in from five cars deep to just wipe the guy out."

Smith, who was fined $25,000 and docked 50 points, admitted he made a mistake, adding that "hopefully I can be forgiven and move past it."

For yesterday's race at Darlington, Earnhardt made sure to make it known he had his driver's back.

Jeff Gluck of The Athletic reported Saturday afternoon that Earnhardt was making goof on his promise to sit in Smith's pit box.

“Dale Jr. is on site at Darlington today,” Gluck tweeted. “As he said at the end of his podcast this week, he drove down so he can sit on Sammy Smith’s pit box as a show of support after Smith’s rough week post-Martinsville.”

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 12: NASCAR Hall of Famer and JR Motorsports owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks on during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 12, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Perhaps the show of solidarity from his boss helped Smith. The 20-year-old finished ninth at Darlington, his third top 10 finish of the 2025 season.

Overall, it was a very good afternoon for JR Motorsports. Smith's teammates Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain, Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch finished third-thru-sixth respectively, meaning JR Motorsports produced five top 10 drivers.

Meanwhile, Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing took home the checkered flag.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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