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In the high-octane world of NASCAR, tempers often run high, and rivalries are born on the track. One such feud recently unfolded between drivers Jeb Burton and Chandler Smith. After a contentious race incident that ruined Burton’s chances of a strong finish, tensions boiled over, leading to a post-race confrontation and a war of words.
Freddie Kraft, a renowned NASCAR spotter and commentator, weighed in on the altercation between Jeb Burton and Chandler Smith. In a recent interview, Kraft expressed his thoughts on the incident and shed light on a surprising connection between the incident and the popular television show, Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Freddie Kraft On Jeb Burtin and Chandler Smith
Kraft first addressed Burton’s claim of landing punches on Smith, stating, “I don’t like what you can’t do, and listen, I spotted for Jeb for a year. I’ve been listening to Jeb, you know, I’ve known Jeb, he’s a buddy of mine. He usually does a lot of talking, not a lot of acting, and I’ll give him credit. He went down there, confronted Chandler, and said he was gonna break his nose, and maybe made an attempt to do that. But, at least, he went down there and spoke his piece.”
However, Kraft quickly discredited Burton’s claims, highlighting the lack of evidence and the contradictory nature of Burton’s statements. Kraft stated, “The only thing that I think he can’t do is make a quote like this that you let your fist do the talking or you say stuff like, you know, he was tweeting like he must have been drinking the whole flight home because at about 4 am… I think many of those guys came back the next day, they stayed out there.”
Kraft’s comment alluded to the fact that Burton’s claims of landing punches and making Smith feel it were unsubstantiated, especially considering the lack of visible damage on Smith’s face. He also mentioned Burton’s late-night tweeting and suggested that it might have been influenced by alcohol consumption during the flight back.
In a surprising turn, Kraft linked the incident to the television show Curb Your Enthusiasm, stating, “Everything is on camera because it turns out none of that was true.” This reference implied that Burton’s actions and statements resemble the exaggerated, fictional scenarios often depicted in the show, where miscommunications and false claims lead to comical situations.
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What happened between Jeb Burton and Chandler Smith?
After seeing Jeb Burton claim that he landed three punches on Chandler Smith in their post-race scuffle, and a tweet from Jeb Burton saying that Smith “Felt it,” Smith posted a behind-the-scenes video of the tussle. While it looks like Burton did make some minimal contact on Smith, none of the shots landed on Smith’s head. Smith ends his video by flashing both sides of his face, which shows no damage, and Smith shrugs. While Burton left the track thinking he had evened the score, seeing Smith’s rebuttal in a public setting like Twitter will most likely do little to calm the feud between the two drivers.
Jeb Burton was furious with Chandler Smith, and he had reasons to be. With under 10 laps to go in Saturday’s Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway, Smith wiped him out while battling inside the top-15. In an instant, a decent run was dashed for Burton. After the incident, Burton let his frustrations be known on his team’s radio. After the race was over, Burton wanted to confront Smith, who drives for Kaulig Racing — a team that Burton drove for a couple of years ago.
According to Burton in a post-race interview with Frontstretch, he said, “I let my fists do the talking.” After he got a few shots in, Burton was cut off at the pass by Smith’s Kaulig Racing pit crew. At the end of the scuffle, one of the No. 16 crew members had Burton held in a headlock.
As the feud between the two drivers continues, it remains to be seen how this incident will impact their future interactions on and off the track. The NASCAR community, fans, and pundits will undoubtedly keep a close eye on the developments, eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this ongoing saga.
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