Now, Cole Custer is no WWE superstar. But he sure knows how to lay a verbal ‘SmackDown’. Just ask Chandler Smith about their pit-rad encounter at Kansas Speedway. Their confrontation stemmed from an on-track incident when the two championship contenders were battling for the lead with 44 laps to go. That’s when the #81 Toyota moved up in front of the #00 Ford, forcing Custer to clip the wall off of Turn 4. 

“You put me in the f—-ing fence,” fumed Custer at Smith after the race. Smith, however, seemed bewildered by it all, and asked Custer, “When did I put you into the fence?” It was clear the two drivers had different interpretations of the incident. Surprisingly, by the end of the day, Smith offered an unexpected apology for his actions. But the newfound rivalry? Well, that’s far from over.

Cole Custer vs Chandler Smith for the main event

Sponsored by CW on NXT for the opening race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, Cole Custer channeled his inner pro wrestler at Kansas. The regular season champ wasn’t too happy with Chandler Smith, who, in his own words, had raced him “like a clown” during the closing laps. Being forced into the wall didn’t exactly cause any damage to Custer’s car. But it did knock him off his game. Though he briefly retook the top spot after a 14-lap battle with Smith, it eventually benefitted a hard-charging Aric Almirola. “I think we would have been able to hold (Almirola) off if we didn’t have to do that,” he said to Daniel McFadin of Frontstretch.

Custer further explained that chasing Smith for the lead burned up his tires towards the end, which rendered him helpless against the #20 on fresher tires. He concluded his answer with a warning. “Now that (Smith) raced to me like that, I race him like that.”

But for Smith, it was all just hard racing. “I would be just as frustrated,” he said, acknowledging Custer’s anger. “I took his air away and took his line away for 10 or so laps there. Trying to hold him up as long as I can… Was hoping I could hold him off long enough till the #20 got to him, and they started racing.” However, as for pushing the #00 into the wall, Smith refuted Custer’s accusations. “I definitely didn’t put him in the fence. I’ll have to go back and watch the replay, but I never… I was watching my mirror the whole time.”- Chandler Smith let out his side of the story.

Regardless, the #81 driver was glad that Custer did not take any immediate revenge. He did not seem too eager to carry this feud over to Talladega next weekend and apologized. “I could feel him when he would get a really big run. I could feel him, the air right on the right rear quarter panel… Pretty much on my bumper. But he never got completely there, and if he did, I’ll shoot out to him, apologize, tell him ‘Thank you for not right-rearing me.’” 

This incident wasn’t just a one-off either. Custer noted that “it’s just a trend in the whole series and NASCAR really… People just run you in the fence.” Besides, it’s the Playoffs, and he’s not the only driver feeling the pressure of increasingly aggressive racing. Thanks to Almirola’s spoiler victory, the battle for Round of 8 spots will only get more intense in the next two races. In the background of all the heated circumstances, plenty of others found themselves in tense conversations after Kansas.

A Kansas brouhaha kicks off the Xfinity Series championship chase

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Make no mistake, the Kansas Lottery 300 was no ordinary race. It was the kickoff to the Round of 12, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. We saw multiple confrontations, as drivers fought for crucial points in the Xfinity Series playoffs. One of the most notable incidents occurred between Riley Herbst and Austin Hill. After bringing out the fourth caution flag at the end of Stage 2, Hill apologized to Herbst for the contact that sent the #98 spinning through the infield grass. The Richard Childress driver finished his race in seventh and is now 23 points above the cutline in third. Herbst rounded off the top 10 and currently sits right above the cutline.

Meanwhile, seventeenth-place finisher, AJ Allmendinger was held accountable by Sammy Smith for causing damage to the #13 Chevrolet early in the race. Smith finished his race in P22, one lap down, and is now the last driver in the Round of 12. Justin Allgaier was another driver who faced troubles in the race. But his rival turned out to be Lady Luck. Days after losing out on the regular season championship to Cole Custer, the #7 driver spun himself out around Lap 70 and ended his race early. Heading to Talladega, Allgaier is the first driver outside the cutline.

Custer now holds a narrow 5-point lead over Chandler Smith at the top of the Playoff standings. Sam Mayer, Sheldon Creed, Shane van Gisbergen, and Jesse Love are the drivers who are still safe before the green drops for the United Rentals 250 next weekend. Talladega looks primed to be a great day to go Saturday racing.