Ty Dillon vs. Regan Smith: Who Was Right At The Glen?

The Xfinity Series Zippo 200 held at Watkins Glen International played out like the majority of Xfinity events during the 2015 season. A Team Penske Ford driven by Joey Logano started on the pole, shattering the track record in the process, and at the end of the day it was Logano’s Ford holding off Penske teammate Brad Keselowski for the win at the end of the day. It was a recurring scene in 2015, nothing memorable.

Yet it was what happened on pit road after the race that got the attention of race fans and media members around, when Regan Smith, who was spun twice and sustained heavy damage after the second spin, decided to hold court by confronting the two Richard Childress Racing drivers responsible, Brendan Gaughan and Ty Dillon. The confrontation with Gaughan was civil, with Smith leaning into Gaughan’s window and saying a few words. However, Smith went as far as to grab Dillon by the collar of his firesuit sparking off a brief confrontation between the two.

First things first, the way this was handled was ideal. The two didn’t engage in bumper cars on the cool-down lap. Instead, it was settled face-to-face on pit road like all confrontations should. They managed to get their point across without causing too much more of a ruckus. As a result, their crews won’t have any extra unnecessary work to do back at the shop.

Moving on, Smith had every right to be angry. He hasn’t won since February 2014 at Daytona and has (or had) a thin chance of taking an Xfinity championship this year, and with the contact made by Dillon all of that went down the drain. Dillon also made several rash decisions behind the wheel and managed to outright dump not one but two drivers, one of which was his teammate Paul Menard. It would be one thing to call this an isolated incident, but it isn’t.

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Going back to August 2014, this two drivers managed to exchange words after the Bristol night event, so they do have history. With that being said, Dillon was adamant that he was planning on talking to Smith after the race, according to Jay Pennell of FOX Sports:

"“He didn’t say much,” Dillon said after cooler heads prevailed. “He said he’s going to wreck me, but we’ll see. I hate that for his guys. It was a mistake and my fault. Honestly, I was going to talk to him about it, but I guess he didn’t want to talk. If he wants to do that, we’ll handle it in the bus lot. I’m not afraid.”"

Dillon went on to accept full blame for the incident. However, Smith wasn’t pacified by Dillon’s mea culpa:

"“Of course he did, he came out of all of them unscathed,” he said. “I’d take responsibility, as well, if I knew the car was back there in 30th place and out of my way. You don’t have to worry about it when you do that.”"

Smith does happen to have a point. Dillon has been involved in incidents in the past where he’s come across as nonchalant about the deal despite other drivers involved being less than enthusiastic about the deal (linked tweets regard an incident at Phoenix in November of last year, where Dillon dumped Josh Wise and proceeded to go along like nothing happened).

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On top of that, Dillon has been perceived as careless behind the wheel, considering his grandfather foots the bill. It’s all but set in stone that he has a top-tier Cup ride lined up soon. This is a stark contrast to Smith, who didn’t fare as well in Cup and is still trying to accomplish as much as he can in the Xfinity Series. Put those two philosophies together, and what comes of it is a lot of tension. To someone who has had to fight for a spot in NASCAR like Smith, Dillon’s attitude may come across as careless and entitled.

It’s the age-old adage: If you want respect, you have to give some respect. This is no different. Just because his grandfather provided his ride for him doesn’t equate to immediate respect from his peers. Dillon may be a success behind the wheel in a top-tier car, but if he keeps up with his current attitude Smith won’t be the last person he’ll have to deal with on pit road or in the garage.

Be sure to weigh in below on whether you think Regan Smith or Ty Dillon was in the right after the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen.

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