October 30, 2021 | By Lee Spencer

Driver's Code discussion continues after wild Martinsville truck race

MARTINSVILLE, Va.--When the dust settled after the United Rentals 200, and the Championship 4 was determined for the Camping World Truck Series, half of the title contenders—Ben Rhodes and race winner Zane Smith were over the moon—John Hunter Nemechek and Matt Crafton, not so much.

While a short track such as Martinsville Speedway brings out the best and worst out of competitors, the ‘lack of respect debate’ continued in earnest after the checkered flag. 

Nemechek, who was nailed by Austin Wayne Self and already in his street clothes when he arrived in the media center, greeted Crafton with the comment, “They showed no (freakin’) respect.” 

Nemechek entered the race with a one-point lead over Rhodes. Earlier contact between the No. 4 Toyota truck and Austin Wayne Self resulted in Nemechek getting dumped by the No. 22 Chevrolet on Lap 129. He finished 39th, his truck destroyed.

“He shouldn’t be out here if he’s just going to hook someone in the right rear and turn them in the fence,” Nemechek said of Self. “NASCAR should definitely look at that. It’s Playoff contention. You’ve got to have respect and he doesn’t.”

Nemechek, 24, grew up in the sport. After nine seasons of racing a truck on both a part-time and full-time basis, as well as competing in both the Xfinity and Cup Series, the second-generation racer realizes how aggressive the truck tour can get—especially in the postseason. 

“Everybody is going to do what they want to do to make it the next round, right?,” Nemechek said. “Matt (Crafton) would wreck me for the win and I would probably wreck Matt for the win. It just is what it is. At the same time, there’s no respect there from guys that are out of the Playoffs for guys that are in the Playoffs, in my opinion. We’re all fighting for a title shot. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“It’s so hard to get here—and there is a lack of respect in this series. I feel like you go to the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series and it’s a totally different respect that people have for each other. I’ve been the young guy coming in and Matt has grabbed me around the neck and explained to me some different things when I first came in here and we’ve had our run-ins and what not and you learn from that. You learn to respect those guys when you’re racing them.” 

Yet drivers in NASCAR’s top tour have had the same complaint. Martin Truex Jr. was nailed by Daniel Suarez at Texas. Last weekend, Austin Dillon lost control of his car and took Ryan Blaney with him. 

Saturday at Martinsville was just typical rooting and gouging that is commonplace with the track. When Crafton was mired in traffic in the closing laps of the race, crew chief Junior Joiner instructed the three-time champion to take no prisoners. The flagship ThorSport squad attempted to solicit help from teammates Ben Rhodes and Grant Enfinger. Enfinger, who is leaving the team to join GMS nailed Crafton as he made his ascent to the front of the pack. 

As a result of Crafton attempting to retaliate, the No. 88 truck roughed up defending champion Sheldon Creed with four laps remaining in the race. The two exchanged words after the race after Creed finished ninth and missed advancing to the  Championship 4 Round by four points.

“At the end of the day, I wasn’t going to wreck Sheldon,” Crafton said. “I did get in the back of the 98 (Enfinger) because I wheel-hopped getting in to turn one, just everyone trying to get in there and I ran in the back of the 98 and moved him up into the 2 (Creed), but we were fine after that point, but then we get down in three and four and my teammate drove through me just to retaliate because I got in the back of him. 

“I understand where Sheldon is upset, because he got moved up the race track, but I did not wreck Sheldon. I did not wreck him on purpose, did not wreck him at all. The 98 is the one who wrecked us off of four and ended up getting him eventually.”

Crafton says with short track racing, slower cars can expect to get the bumper—but there’s a difference between moving a driver and wrecking him or her.

“That’s Martinsville racing,” Crafton said. “Just don’t drive through them and wreck ‘em. At the end of the day, I moved the 98 up, he got into the 2, moved him up. We were just fine. Then my worthless teammate (Enfinger) just drove through me off of 4. I know this is his last race with ThorSport so he was going to show what kind of cool guy he was.”

From the top tier of truck racing to the back of the field, there is a wide chasm when it comes to talent and resources. When the truck series started in 1995, it was a senior tour of sorts, with journeymen racers and former track champions from across the country. Soon, it evolved into a proving ground for young drivers who would hone their skills against the veterans of the sport.  

Nemechek was no exception before returning to the fold to race for juggernaut Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“There are guys out here trying to prove their name, I get it,” Nemechek said. “They're young, they want to succeed but wrecking somebody in the middle of the race for no reason isn’t going to get you very far. It’s going to create more enemies than anything else.”

But as Nemechek mentioned earlier, the Craftons of the sport are there to remind the youngsters of their mortality. Young drivers learn quickly not to mess with the bulls or the horns will be forthcoming. 

Crafton has vowed not to discriminate—particularly entering the season finale next Friday at Phoenix Raceway. Young or old, if a driver races him dirty, justice will prevail.

“I’m not just going to drive through somebody to win a championship,” Crafton said. “I don’t want to do it that way. Are you going to lay a fender to ‘em? Are you going to put a bumper on ‘em? Yeah, absolutely. But if you’re going to be a punk and go wreck somebody that isn’t me.

“But at the end of the day, if I do get wrecked for the championship, there is a gate and we can go outside and settle it there.”