Tempers flared on and off the track after the Richmond race. Austin Dillon’s bump-and-run harnessed all the attention for this week, especially his rivals’ ire. However, even as Joey Logano trumpeted his anger, another Cup Series driver also unleashed his temper in an unlikely situation. Noah Gragson lost his cool in a chilled-out setting with his close friend.

Gragson’s Richmond run was far from spectacular, as he gathered together a measly 20th-place finish. That might as well be the reason for his heightened emotions at home. Yet he paid the price for it, which left his companion gleeful and content.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver’s short temper has made it to NASCAR headlines before. Remember last year’s Kansas race? Yes, Denny Hamlin sparked off a rivalry with Kyle Larson when he edged him for the win. But another feisty face-off played out between Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain. With 60 laps left, Chastain nudged Gragson and put the then Legacy Motor Club rookie in the wall. That led to a post-race encounter – Gragson grabbed Chastain’s collar, and  landed a punch.

This time around, Noah Gragson’s target was an inanimate object – a large screen owned by his good friend, Zane Smith. As if losing his crew chief to Smith’s Spire teammate last year was not enough, it seemed Gragson was out for vengeance.

After the chaotic Richmond race, both Gragson and Smith were rewinding with a little TV session. But Gragson’s emotions ran wild as he flung his remote at the silver screen. Smith captioned his Instagram story: “Noah’s Wii remote 1, my tv 0.”

However, clearly, Noah Gragson’s fury was not aimed at Smith. The two are the best of friends, along with Xfinity star Riley Herbst. Did you know NASCAR even has a name for the trio?

The ‘West Coast Buddies’ reportedly grew up racing each other in and around Las Vegas. In fact, Herbst and Smith’s friendship dates back to when the latter was just three years old!

Last year, Gragson proudly narrated the story of how he rushed to attend his bestie’s first Cup Series start. “When Zane Smith made his first Cup Series start in Gateway, I went there. I raced the day before in Portland, flew back to Charlotte, and got on an early flight to Gateway.” So it should not be a surprise that Smith’s TV was resurrected, as Gragson paid his dues. Smith captioned his next Instagram story: “We are so back.”

Zane Smith has also professed his love for his NASCAR buddies. “I have had good friends, but two that have been there since the beginning—Noah Gragson and Riley Herbst.” And Noah Gragson stressed that it is an enduring one. “It’s just cool to see how much we all just support each other, and how close we are. I love these guys. They are my best buddies and I really enjoy seeing them reach success.” This strong bond may be crucial for Smith to secure his uncertain future ahead.

Things are jittery for Cup rookie

Well, one Cup Series rookie is looking ahead to a bright future. Carson Hocevar has secured his tenure at Spire Motorsports as the No. 77 driver. But things are not so hunky dory for his teammate, 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith. Two-thirds of the season is over, and Smith has been able to collect only a single top-ten finish—runner-up in Nashville. Besides that, the No. 71 driver has mostly finished outside the top 30, getting caught in frequent wrecks. So even though Spire has an empty seat in the No. 7 at present, Smith may not secure that.

Zane Smith was supposed to go back to Trackhouse Racing in 2025. But that team is yet to acquire another charter, and as of now, Smith lacks any ride there. Ross Chastain will continue in the No. 1 car, and Daniel Suarez will come back in 99. Additionally, Shane van Gisbergen would be a huge threat in case Trackhouse does get an extra seat. Gisbergen has a dominant three-win position in the Xfinity Series, which may translate to the Cup Series as well.

Zane Smith is still not losing hope, though. Reminding people to give him the benefit of the doubt, just last month, the 25-year-old said, And people, “I think have forgotten the fact that this is a brand new team that has been essentially assemble. So it’s going to take those growing pains. And we experienced that, especially in the beginning half of the year.”

And as far as his future with Trackhouse is concerned, the driver further reiterated, “I signed a contract to where I know what I’m doing for the next couple of years and that’s to be a part of Trackhouse. So I’m excited for my future with them. I’d say myself and in Trackhouse in the past couple of weeks have also shown some good speed.” Looks like Justin Marks might not be ready to let go of this driver yet. But even if he does, Smith has got another suitor ready to accept him with open arms—the driver’s former team, Front Row Motorsports.

Citing NASCAR’s possible three-charter rule, FRM’s General Manager Jerry Freeze said to Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, “If Zane were to be a free agent for next year, I think that’s something that we’ll certainly be interested in for sure, I don’t know if he is. We really believe in Zane’s talent and I think he’s gonna be a star you know.”

Having said that, the times are indeed rough on Zane Smith. He would need all the emotional support he can harness from his friends like Noah Gragson or Riley Herbst.