Regan Smith was coming into the last couple turns of today’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio just a tad faster than race leader Alex Tagliani. So, Smith gives Tagliani a little nudge to bump him out of the way, Tagliani went wide and Smith got by. Was it a dirty move, or totally rad? Watch and decide.
Smith was considerably happier with this result than he was with last week’s Xfinity race at Watkins Glen, where contact during the race led him to get in Ty Dillon’s face after the race.
Mid-Ohio ended in a pleasant, smoky burnout for him instead, which folks on Tagliani’s side of this dismissed as a tacky move.
“I had to do what I had to do there,” said Smith, defending his bump. Smith also doesn’t have any plans nailed down for next year yet. This gives him a crucial first win for the season.
Tagliani was gunning for his first-ever NASCAR win. He started from pole position and drove strong for the entire duration of the race, leading for 38 of the race’s 75 laps.
The Canadian racer is more known for Champ Car and IndyCar racing than stock cars. He’s by no means a full-season participant. He’s finished second a number of times, but never been able to pull off a win.
Needless to say, he’s fuming mad about this little tap.
“He knows I’m not going to be there next week to retaliate,” said a frustrated Tagliani after the race.
What are your thoughts? Was this a fun, clever move, or just plain mean? Tell us in the comments below.
Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com.