Cole Custer will be looking over his shoulder at Phoenix Raceway. The reigning Xfinity Series champion has the unique opportunity to win back-to-back titles, but standing in his way is one more race next weekend and Chandler Smith. There was plenty of bad blood between the two drivers even before the 2024 National Debt Relief 250, but the rivalry has amplified tenfold after it descended to a physical altercation on the pit road after the penultimate race of the season ended.

Having missed out on Championship 4 after finishing fourth at Martinsville Speedway, could Chandler Smith seek retribution against Cole Custer in the biggest race of the season? The 22-year-old has hinted at the possibility.

Custer will be wary of Chandler Smith at Phoenix

After losing a spot in the championship 4 and a seat for next season, Chandler Smith has very little to lose going into Phoenix. And if his post-race actions at Martinsville Speedway are anything to go by, he isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty either. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has secured nine top-five finishes in the last 11 races, but with no title to compete for at ‘the desert oddball,’ could he resort to sabotaging Cole Custer’s title hopes? While NASCAR will be keeping a close eye on proceedings and take strict measures against any form of premeditated action, the Georgia native might not care anymore.

Despite both drivers trading paint at Martinsville, Chandler Smith has dismissed any notion that the saga has ended. The No. 81 Toyota Supra driver said, “He can think we’re even and all, but he’s the one with more stakes next week.” Justifying his punch on the pit road, Smith went on to say, “I was planning to do a lot more than that to be completely frank with you, I was extremely pissed off. I gave him 5 laps … I can’t waste any more time so I pushed him up the track but I gave him a chance … he didn’t give me a chance to make the corner in turn 1.”

Both drivers had plenty to race for in the penultimate race of the Xfinity Series. For Chandler Smith, a victory was needed to keep his title hopes alive, which is why his on-track incidents with Cole Custer led to disastrous consequences. As for the reigning champion, it’s his final season at Stewart-Haas Racing before the team shuts operations permanently at the end of 2024. Victory at Martinsville not only guarantees his place in Championship 4 but also allows him to give SHR the sendoff they deserve with back-to-back titles before moving to the Cup Series next year.

It wasn’t the first time emotions have run high at Martinsville Speedway, and it certainly won’t be the last. The Truck Series race on the short track also had a controversial ending, as Christian Eckes went on to make contact with Ben Rhodes and Taylor Gray on his way to Victory Lane. Drama is an inevitable consequence of the stakes being higher than ever and in this instance, it led to an ugly conclusion. However, Cole Custer has picked the wrong time to make an enemy and will be feeling like a marked man in the championship race at Phoenix.

Cole Custer unimpressed by Smith’s punch

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The tension was steadily rising at Martinsville Speedway after Cole Custer and Chandler Smith raced each other hard at the 0.526-mile short track. The two drivers exchanged paint during the closing 25 laps with the Joe Gibbs Racing driver bumping into his rival to make a pass while Custer retaliated by sending the Georgia native up the track. Even though both drivers finished third and fourth respectively, the reigning Xfinity Series champion was the only one who went through after finishing third in the driver standings.

With frustrations having peaked, the rivalry escalated on the pit road as both drivers engaged in a heated argument before Chandler Smith swung a punch at Cole Custer. The pair were immediately separated by security and the No. 00 Ford Mustang driver was seen smirking while walking away. In the post-race interview, Custer explained that Smith deserved to have his race ruined after costing the SHR driver a victory at Kansas Speedway earlier this season.

Speaking to The CW Broadcast, Custer said, “It is what it is. At the end of the day, he put us in the wall a few times this year. He kept us from winning a race, I feel like, at Kansas. I don’t know how we’re not even. Then he punched me in the face; I wasn’t even sure if he did it was so soft.” If there’s one thing NASCAR fans enjoy more than post-race drama and a fight, it’s the trash-talking that follows, and as Xfinity Series champion, Custer didn’t disappoint with his comments in the post-race interview. However, Chandler Smith will be one driver that he will have to worry about going into his biggest race of the season next week.