(Video) Chandler Smith punches at Cole Custer at Martinsville during heated post-race altercation
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith was involved in a heated altercation with defending champion Cole Custer at Martinsville.
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Chandler Smith and Cole Custer (Via IMAGO)
The 2024 NASCAR Cup season so far has been emotional roller coaster for Chandler Smith, who despite having a strong season with multiple wins doesn’t have a seat for the 2025 season. He came into Martinsville this Saturday, in must-win situation and has now found himself in eliminated from the chase.
He missed out on the championship, after multiple clashes with the defending champion Cole Custer. Toyota’s Chandler Smith furious with how the No:00 SHR Ford raced him and via his team radio promised to confront him after the race. He didn’t waste no time, once he got into the pit-road after the checkered flag.
A stack-up on the restart shakes things up at the front of the field! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/MiWEV0XTyf
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) November 2, 2024
Smith went to Custer and had a heated conversation with him, before trying to land a punch on the Ford driver. Hilariously the No:81 Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s technique was pretty bad, instead of a proper punch, the attempt resulted in weak slap, which someone with Custer’s built might haven’t even felt.
Tempers have boiled over between Chandler Smith & Cole Custer post-race! pic.twitter.com/fx9eHNzSWa
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) November 2, 2024
The crew members of both drivers were quick to get to the scene, alongside NASCAR officials to come between the drivers to defuse the situation. Fortunately, it didn’t take much time to send driver their separate ways. But the punch would have landed, the situation most probably could have been different.
Chandler Smith was planning to do more
In his post-altercation interview Smith came clean and admitted that he came to confront Custer, determined to escalate the situation as he was pissed off. He explained how he gave the Ford driver enough space before to move away from him and never raced him over aggressively, but things just went south for him.
I was planning to do a lot more than that to be completely frank with you, I was extremely pissed off. I gave him five laps before that before that caution came out, beat his bumper off and never shipped him or anything like that.
Chandler Smith said.
He went onto explain how the decision making from Custer on the last restart was questionable and asserted that the Ford driver is to be blamed for all the chaos. It will be interesting to see if Smith will do anything that can ruin Custer’s championship chances at the Phoenix finale.
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Justin P Joy
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