By Seth Eggert, Associate Editor
The short-run speed that Chandler Smith had in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway wasn’t enough to hold off the competition in the closing laps.
Smith took the lead in the Kansas Lottery 300 after a back-and-forth battle with Cole Custer. The No. 81 QuickTie Products Toyota GR Supra briefly contacted Custer’s No. 00 WWE NXT Ford Mustang Dark Horse. The Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver took the lead with 44 laps to go, but never shook the defending champion.
Custer continued to chase Smith around the 1.5-mile track. As the duo battled, Aric Almirola’s No. 20 Toyota closed in. The full-time JGR driver kept Custer at bay until 10 laps to go. With the Stewart-Haas Racing driver on the outside, Smith slipped behind Custer and then behind Almirola as well. He cruised throughout the final laps to take the checkered flag in third.
“My No. 81 QuickTie Products GR Supra was fast as Xfinity internet, especially on the short runs,” Smith said. “It just needed to be a little better on the longer run, it just lost some front turn there. The 20 (Almirola) and the 00 (Custer) were definitely better than us after 20 to 25 laps. Needed to be a little better there.
“(Custer) was frustrated. I held him up for quite a few laps and did what I needed to do to win the thing. I knew if he got by me, he was going to drive off into the sunset. Regular season, if that happens, I’d probably give him a little more room, I guess. I guess he got to my outside. I never got told or saw that he was to my outside. I could feel him with the air, but he never fully got there so I just took his air away. Yeah, held him up for quite a few laps and I guess he wasn’t happy.”
What Custer was frustrated with after the race-long battle was the final restart. Smith ran the Ford Performance driver up the track exiting Turn 4. Custer scrubbed the wall but continued with seemingly little damage. Despite the respect that he holds for his fellow competitor, the hard-racing incident was something that Smith viewed simply as Playoff racing.
“I’m not sure exactly what he’s referring to,” Smith admitted. “I know there was a few times where he got close to my right rear quarter panel in the exit of (turn) four, but I never got told outside and I was watching my mirror and he never got there. I knew if he got by us, he was going to set sail. We’re Playoff racing and if I won this race, it advances us to the next round.
“There’s a lot of stakes to that obviously and not to mention he’s also the guy that we’re racing for the championship. We’re going to race hard, it’s not the regular season anymore. I’m not just going to let him go at the very end of the race like I would in the regular season if he’s that much better.
“We’re playoff racing now. I respect the hell out of Cole. He’s gave me a lot of breaks and in his eyes, he gave me a few today, which I’ll go back and watch and if I’m in the wrong I’ll apologize. I felt like it was the end of the race, he knew he was better, and I had to do what I had to do to hold him up [if] I can to try to give me a shot to win the thing.”
The same short-run speed that ultimately cost Smith the victory in the race cost him the Stage 1 win as well. His teammate, Almirola, took the lead in the Stage with under 10 laps remaining. That left Smith second in the opening Stage. Coupled with a fourth-place finish in Stage 2, the Talking Rock, GA native earned an additional 16-points.
The third-place finish was Smith’s 12th top-five finish this season. It was also his 20 th career top-five in the Xfinity Series.
The top-five finish moved Smith up to second on the Playoff grid. He is five points behind leader Custer and 35 ahead of the cutline for the Round of Eight, currently held by Riley Herbst.
Next for Smith is the unpredictability of superspeedway racing at Talladega Superspeedway. In three starts at the 2.66-mile track, he has a best finish of 25th, earlier this season.
The United Rentals 250 at Talladega is scheduled for Saturday, October 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET on The CW. The race will also be broadcast on both the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.