NASCAR made the right choice by penalizing Sammy Smith after Martinsville debacle

On Tuesday, it was reported that Smith will lose 50 driver points and be fined $25,000 for his last-lap move at Martinsville. With the penalty, Smith goes from sixth in the Xfinity Series standings to 13th, and ironically, is now one point behind Gray. JR Motorsports will not appeal the penalty. 

NASCAR should be applauded for making the call, as the sanctioning body has, in recent years, attempted to adopt a self-policing and "boys have at it" strategy to penalties related to on-track incidents. Just like in the case of Austin Dillon a year ago, however, NASCAR made sure to make a point: a move such as Smith's is inexcusable and will result in a harsh penalty. 

There are still steps to be taken in order to improve the driving etiquette that was seen throughout the Xfinity Series field on Saturday, but handing down a harsh penalty to the most egregious offender was a good move as NASCAR seeks to put Saturday's debacle of a race in the rearview mirror.