MARTINSVILLE, Va: It wasn’t a win, but Cole Custer will give Stewart-Haas Racing an opportunity to defend its NASCAR Xfinity Series championship following a fourth-place finish in Saturday afternoon’s National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Custer didn’t have a race-winning car in the penultimate Xfinity Series race of the season. Still, he had a car capable of contending for a strong finish, and with no new winner, he secured a spot in the Championship 4 race.
However, the race wasn’t without its share of drama, especially in the final stage where Custer battled Chandler Smith, who was in a must-win situation.
In the closing laps, Smith bumped Custer, sending him up the track. Later, after a caution, Custer retaliated, moving Smith aside and costing him crucial positions.
Both drivers eventually recovered to finish third and fourth at the checkered flag, but the garage’s attention was focused on what happened after the race.
After the race, Smith confronted Custer at his car, leading to a heated exchange. Tempers flared, and Smith attempted to throw a punch before officials stepped in to separate the drivers.
Walking away from the heated exchange, it was evident that both drivers were still fuming about the on-track contact.
For Smith, the frustration of missing out on a Championship opportunity set in, while Custer was fed up with Smith’s antics throughout the season.
“I guess he’s mad, but what comes around goes around,” said Custer on his discussion with Smith. “At the end of the day, he put us in the fence a few times this year. He used his bumper on me, so I used my bumper on him.
“It is what it is. You go and race for a championship and you’re put in these situations. I don’t mind doing it to him because he’s done it to me.”
Custer expected Smith to be aggressive on Saturday afternoon, but he was equally aggressive with the Championship stakes on the line.
“I expected him to be aggressive, but I can’t not be aggressive,” Custer remarked. “I’m gonna race him just how he raced me the whole year.
“I was racing for the owner’s (championship). I was in a must-win just like him, so for him to come over here and say I don’t have a reason to race, that’s no reason at all.”
Custer wasn’t surprised by Smith’s reaction, reflecting on several incidents this season where Smith put him into the wall.
“No. I mean, it is what it is,” he reflected. “You’re racing to go race for a championship. He put me in the wall a few times this year, this was the time it all came around.”
Tempers will eventually simmer, and both drivers will focus on the 200-lap Phoenix finale on November 9.
For Custer, it’s an opportunity to bring Stewart-Haas Racing back-to-back Xfinity Series championships in their final Xfinity Series race.
“I’m so proud of this team,” added Custer. “We brought everything we had today. They kept us in the fight, but JT and all the guys did a great job all year maximizing everything we had. I can’t thank Gene Haas and everybody at Haas Automation, Ford Performance. I can’t wait to go to Phoenix now and see what we can do.”
Not worrying about any potential post-Martinsville payback from Smith, Custer is focused forward on battling in the desert of Arizona.
“It is what it is,” sounded Custer. “I think 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.
“He used the bumper on me, so I used the bumper on him. I don’t know how we’re not even, and then he punches me in the face. I can’t even tell if he really punched me in the face it was so soft, but we’ll go on to Phoenix.”
As Custer heads to Phoenix, he remains optimistic about his chances to secure both his third win of the season and the championship
“At the end of the day, I feel like we have as good a shot as anybody,” he said. “We’ve brought a lot a speed in the playoffs so far. We obviously won last year, so we just have to work some magic again.”
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
