MARTINSVILLE, Va. — While one Joe Gibbs Racing driver celebrated a pivotal win at Martinsville Speedway, another angrily confronted the reigning Xfinity Series champion on pit road and threw a slap to start a brief fight.
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Chandler Smith marched over to Cole Custer's car after finishing third at Martinsville Speedway and falling short of the win he needed to advance to the Championship 4. He appeared to yell at Custer, which prompted the Stewart-Haas Racing driver to yell back.
They continued with the argument, gesturing at each other in the process. Smith ultimately threw a punch and then backed away toward the NASCAR official. A member of NASCAR security then stepped in before Custer could throw a punch of his own.
A heated exchange at @MartinsvilleSwy. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/fYNaHDeIRh
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) November 2, 2024
"I guess he's mad, but what comes around goes around," Custer said after the brief fight. "At the end of the day, he put us in the fence a few times this year.
"He used his bumper on me, so I used my bumper on him. It is what it is. You go and race for a championship and you're put in these situations. I don't mind doing it to him because he's done it to me."
Custer's comments reference the run-ins the two drivers have had throughout the season. The race at Kansas was a prominent example as Smith squeezed Custer into the wall to take the lead in the closing laps. Custer then chased Smith back down and kept trying to use the top lane to retake the lead.
The pass took several attempts, but Custer finally took back the lead with 10 laps to go. The problem for him, however, is that he used up his equipment. Aric Almirola was able to chase him down and take the lead despite having older tires.
This on-track conflict led to a heated discussion on pit road and comments from Custer about "racing like a clown."
The Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville only continued this conflict, albeit with much higher stakes. Smith needed a win to reach the Championship 4 while Custer knew that this outcome would knock him out of the Championship 4.
Custer was in second place with fewer than 40 laps remaining in the race. Smith was behind him, trying to make the pass so he could attempt to chase down Almirola. The first few attempts failed, so Smith used the bumper to punt Custer out of the way.
A bump-and-run moves @CSmith_Racing into second as the yellow comes out for @BrandonJonesRac.
Less than 30 to go at @MartinsvilleSwy! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Bi5iyRudHf
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) November 2, 2024
The reigning champion went to retaliate, but he did not have the opportunity. Sheldon Creed spun Brandon Jones and brought out the caution. However, Custer lined up right behind Smith on the subsequent restart and then he pushed Smith up the track on the restart.
Smith did not hit the wall. In fact, he actually remained ahead of Custer in the running order. The two drivers just lost spots to Sammy Smith, Justin Allgaier, and other drivers.
The caution flew once again moments later for Blaine Perkins spinning, but it did not give new life to Smith. Custer's push had taken him out of contention for the win.
"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 after the race.
"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 1). It is what it is."
With the Round of 8 elimination race and the brief fight behind them, the two drivers head in opposite directions. Custer will join AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, and Justin Allgaier in the championship race. He will defend his title before moving up to the Cup Series in 2025.
Smith, however, will close out his lone season with Joe Gibbs Racing with the season finale at Phoenix. He will then head toward an offseason of uncertainty. He doesn't have a seat for next season, and he doesn't know where he will land.
Next weekend's race is Smith's final — for now — opportunity to win a race. It's also an opportunity to keep Custer from winning his second consecutive title.
"He kept us from winning a race, I feel like, at Kansas," Custer added. "He used the bumper on me, so I used the bumper on him.
"I don't know how we're not even, and then he punches me in the face. I can't even tell if he really punched me in the face it was so soft, but we'll go on to Phoenix."
