In a historic and unwanted milestone for NASCAR, JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith’s disqualification from the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway has pushed the 2025 season into unfortunate territory.
Sammy Smith DQ Makes Unwanted History in NASCAR
Smith’s disqualification from the NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway marks a significant moment in the season. Smith, who initially finished fifth, was disqualified after his No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet failed post-race inspection due to not meeting the minimum weight requirement. As a result, Smith was relegated to a last-place finish.
Smith’s disqualification contributes to an unprecedented trend in the 2025 NASCAR season, with a total of eight disqualifications across the top three series.
So far, there have been three in the Cup Series, three in the Xfinity Series, and two in the Truck Series. This is the first time in NASCAR history that a single season has recorded eight or more disqualifications.
Earlier in the year, Smith was awarded a controversial victory at Rockingham after Jesse Love’s car was disqualified due to a rear suspension violation. Smith was also at the center of another controversy at Martinsville, where he was fined $25,000 and docked 50 driver points for a final-lap incident involving Justin Allgaier.
Smith’s disqualification gave Dean Thompson his first top-five finish in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career. Josh Williams was promoted to sixth, matching his career-best result. Austin Hill reached the seventh spot, Ryan Ellis eighth, Christian Eckes ninth, and Sheldon Creed 10th.
Ellis was already celebrating his first top-10 finish after 144 career starts, even before gaining an extra position after post-race inspection.
In a post on X, highlighting Smith’s disqualification, NASCAR insider Seth Eggert wrote, “With [Smith’s] Disqualification, 2025 marks the FIRST time that a @NASCAR season has had 8 or more DQs. There’s been 3 Cup, 3 @NASCAR_Xfinity, & 2 @NASCAR_Trucks DQs so far this season.”
With @sammysmithSS’s Disqualification, 2025 marks the FIRST time that a @NASCAR season has had 8 or more DQs.
There’s been 3 Cup, 3 @NASCAR_Xfinity, & 2 @NASCAR_Trucks DQs so far this season.
Full chart on @MotorReference.#NASCAR | #BetMGM300 | @XfinityRacing | @jeff_gluck https://t.co/YqLj41ukDB pic.twitter.com/YR7frf4WKa
— Seth Eggert (@SethEggert91)
Smith joined a growing list of penalized drivers, including Layne Riggs, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, Justin Bonsignore, Jesse Love, Erik Jones, and Parker Kligerman. The range of violations from weight infractions to bed cover material underscores the strict technical scrutiny NASCAR is enforcing in 2025.
Also, this sharp uptick in DQs reflects NASCAR’s renewed commitment to strict rule enforcement, particularly regarding technical specifications like weight, suspension components, and body measurements.
Officials have been trending toward tighter inspections for years in an effort to ensure fairness and integrity as the sport evolves, and situations like Smith’s are brought out into the open and penalized.
