Sammy Smith sent the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Martinsville into chaos when he triggered an early multi-car wreck at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, damaging Corey Day’s Chevrolet one week after sweeping Talladega, and the whole thing was caught on video.
With the Chase entering its penultimate race, the contact left two title contenders with damaged cars and open questions about how much ground either could recover.
The second caution of the National Debt Relief 250 flew around Lap 37, early in the 250-lap, 131.5-mile race at Martinsville Speedway. Smith, Day and Brent Crews had pitted under the previous yellow and restarted in the middle of the field. Entering Turn 1, Smith dove to the inside, drove through Ryan Ellis’ No. 02 and clipped Lavar Scott’s No. 45. Scott’s car turned into Day. Ellis and Crews were collected too.
Watch video of the crash from the track, below.
Sammy Smith Wreck Damage at Martinsville
Every car drove away. Day took heavy right-rear damage, while Smith’s No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet had right-front damage that sent him to pit road for front-end work, according to JR Motorsports. Mason Maggio received the free pass.
“Sammy Smith into Scott” was how Matt Weaver summarized the start of the sequence. Dustin Albino reported that Smith turned Scott and took out Day. Smith’s account held that Scott came down on him, while some commentators viewed the move into Turn 1 as aggressive.
The wreck shuffled the field and pushed Smith and Day, both Chase drivers, back temporarily. Neither stayed there. Day finished fourth in Stage 2, scoring stage points despite the damage, and Smith took fifth. Smith returned to the track after the stop and worked back through the field.
By Laps 130 to 162, Smith ran in the top six, racing near the front with Justin Allgaier and Crews. The race continued under later cautions, including spins involving Patrick Emerling and Garrett Smithley. At Lap 162, the field was still under yellow with Allgaier leading and Smith in the mix.
Sammy Smith After the Talladega Sweep
Smith arrived at Martinsville fresh off a Talladega sweep. He captured his first Truck Series victory on Friday, then won the Progress Group 250 on Saturday with a last-lap pass on teammate Carson Kvapil by 0.084 seconds.
The Saturday win snapped a 53-race winless streak in the O’Reilly Series, his first victory of 2026 and fourth career, and made Smith the first non-Cup Series driver to sweep the Truck and O’Reilly races at one track since Greg Biffle in 2001. He also announced a full-time Truck Series move for 2027 with Tricon Garage’s No. 15 Toyota.
Entering Martinsville, the eighth race of the Chase, Smith sat seventh in points, 108 behind leader Jesse Love. Allgaier trailed Love by 19 and Day by 29. The contact tempered the momentum from Talladega, damaging a fellow contender’s car and sending Smith to pit road for repairs.
Smith’s Martinsville résumé entering the day: five top-five finishes and seven top-10s in eight series starts. Smith’s 2025 spring race at the track ended in a penalty. NASCAR fined Smith $25,000 and docked 50 points after he spun race leader Taylor Gray on the final lap, handing Austin Hill the win.
Day, Hendrick Motorsports’ third-ranked Chase driver entering the weekend, led 37 laps and finished second at Martinsville in March.
Crews, also collected, later ran near the front. Mid-pack restarts on the 0.526-mile oval leave little room, and one move can spread through several cars. The race remained in progress at last report, with no penalties announced for the incident.
Sammy Smith Sparks Multi-Car NASCAR Crash Caught on Video: Watch the Chaos