Taylor Gray confronts, vows revenge after Christian Eckes wins in physical finish at Martinsville
With a physical final restart, Christian Eckes wins the biggest race of his life to punch his ticket to Phoenix to the ire of Taylor Gray. Eckes is going to the NASCAR Truck Series Championship 4.
Christian Eckes and Taylor Gray got a bit physical there at the end. The race came down to the final 13 laps and it was a dogfight on the restart.
Gray briefly took the lead. Then Eckes gave him the bumper. Gray would then get washed up the track and end up being eliminated from the playoffs. Eckes walks away with the season sweep at Martinsville.
Here is the postrace confrontation.
NASCAR security walked with Taylor Gray to Victory Lane. Christian Eckes was there to celebrate, but he had to get an earful from Gray first. A controversial win for Eckes as the fans were split on the finish. Some cheering, many booing.
While he was in Eckes’ face, this is what he told him.
“Don’t f***ing ship me into the f***ing fence. Race me like I f***ing did to you. I barely got you [unintelligible] Do you know how many chances I had to ship you into the f***ing fence?”
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Clearly a lot of emotions in this cutoff race. Eckes joins Grant Enfinger in the Championship 4 along with Corey Heim and Ty Majeski. Rajah Caruth, Taylor Gray, Tyler Ankrum, and Nicholas Sanchez were all eliminated.
Taylor Gray has time to plot his revenge on Christian Eckes
While there was no physical altercation, there was a verbal exchange. Taylor Gray cussed Chrisian Eckes out about putting him in the wall and racing with respect. To be fair, Gray managed to pass Eckes without contact. Eckes didn’t have to win to make it to Phoenix.
Still, he made a physical move.
After the confrontation, Taylor Gray spoke to the FS2 broadcast.
“I got shipped to the fence whenever I race him perfectly clean in one and two,” Gray said. “What comes around goes around. I have to race him next year all year long. So, I guess he’s got that one for him.”
The NASCAR Playoffs bring out the fire in drivers. Christian Eckes may have made a poor decision when we look back on this race in a week or so. He didn’t have to win the race to advance, but Eckes made sure he left no doubt as to whether or not he was racing for a big trophy at Phoenix.