Chandler Smith’s NASCAR Xfinity Series championship run ended with a punch on pit road following Saturday’s race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Ahead of the National Debt Relief 250, Smith was facing a must-win situation in fifth on the playoff grid, 28 points below the cutline.
Smith was among the contenders throughout the day at “The Paperclip” as he led 34 laps. However, a late-race restart was the demise of the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s title hopes.
On the outside of the front row on a restart with 24 laps to go, Smith was in prime position to contend for the win. Fellow playoff contender Cole Custer lined up directly behind Smith’s No. 81 Toyota. In turn one, Custer gave Smith the bumper as both drivers lost valuable positions on the race track.
Smith managed to climb back to third by race’s end with Custer placing right behind him in fourth place.
After failing to win the race and reach the Championship 4, Smith approached Custer on the pit road, followed by a heated exchange and a right-handed punch to Custer’s face. The two were separated before more punches could be thrown.
Earlier in the race, Smith put the bumper to Custer as well. However, from Smith’s perspective, Custer didn’t give Smith the same respect on the race track that Smith did throughout the event.
“He thought he was in a must-win for the owners – which he was – but at the end of the day, I get that his dad has some high up role at SHR (Stewart-Haas Racing), so he probably values that a lot, but at the end of the day, I’m a driver,” Smith said.
“I’m in a must-win situation. He was not at that moment, and he didn’t even try to make the corner. Granted I moved him the lap before, but I’m beating his bumper off for the five laps before that. I gave him grace, before I finally shipped him and then he doesn’t even try to give me a chance going into turn one. It is what it is.
“I’m super grateful God blessed me with a great group of men and women at Joe Gibbs Racing that have worked on this QuickTie Toyota. It is a bunch of fun. This car was hooked up at the very end, unfortunately, I was the focal point of us getting shipped because then we were behind the eight-ball and had to pass all of those cars again.”
As Smith was unable to advance, Custer’s performance allowed the Stewart-Haas Racing driver to secure a spot in the Championship 4 and continue his pursuit of a second straight Xfinity Series title.
JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier also advanced after finishing fifth. Both drivers join A.J. Allmendinger and Austin Hill in the championship race at Phoenix Raceway next Saturday.