KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Garrett Smithley said he felt “probably the lowest of my career” Saturday after causing the leaders to wreck late in the Xfinity Series playoff race at Kansas Speedway while he was five laps down.
Smithley said he wasn’t aware the leaders were behind him when he exited Turn 4 and moved up toward the wall. Chase Briscoe, who was leading, and Christopher Bell, who was second, made contact as Briscoe tried to avoid Smithley.
Briscoe finished third. Bell 12th.
“I just didn’t get the memo that he was coming,” Smithley said of the leaders. “(Spotter) Freddie (Kraft) usually does a good job, he always does a good job. I’m sure it wasn’t his fault. Something didn’t get transmitted or what. I glanced up. David Starr was back there. I was just riding. We were on like 70-lap tires just riding not even pushing hard. I hated it.”
Asked about the line he ran, going from the bottom in the corners to high on exit, Smithley said:
“I was running my line. If I had known he was back there, I wouldn’t have even done that. I was just riding. I was on 70-lap tires, not even pushing it. Just stupid mistake. I hate that it happened. I hate it for everybody that got involved. I do not want to be that guy by any means. I’ve never been that guy. I hate that that happened.”
It’s the second time in about a month that Smithley has been hit by a faster car while running laps down in a race.
In the Cup playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch ran into the back of Smithley’s car and criticized Smithley’s credentials.
Asked if he feared people would start associating him with those incidents, Smithley said:
“No. What happened at Vegas happened. People spoke and most people were on my side. It was a mistake. People forget how hard this stuff is. Things happen in a split-second decision. Like I said, I didn’t know he was up there. I glanced up and didn’t see him and ran my line and that was it.”
Briscoe demurred on being overly critical of Smithley, saying “I still haven’t seen a replay” when he talked to reporters.
“It is frustrating even without that lap car, just in general,” Briscoe said. “I totally understand lap cars are obviously off the pace and that makes it tough for them. At this place, the fast guys are running the top and there were a lot of guys that would run the top in front of you.
“We are literally racing for our lives trying to lock into a championship. I haven’t seen the replay so it is hard to say. I know I got tagged in the left rear by Bell but at the same time it felt like (Smithley) was going to put me in the fence regardless.”
Told that Smithley said he wasn’t aware Briscoe was behind, Briscoe said: “I feel like he should have general awareness of what is going on. I totally get where he is coming from. It is tough in those situations. I don’t know. I don’t want to comment on it because I have not been in his position, so I am sure it is tough but it is frustrating to say the least on my end. We go from 15 to go thinking we are going to win the race and lock into Homestead and then you are two points back. It is frustrating. I am sure he will reach out and I appreciate that, but it doesn’t much help the fact.”
Said Bell: “I haven’t seen (a replay) so it’s hard for me to say. Obviously I didn’t mean to wreck the 98. It sucks that we tore up two race cars.”
While Bell and Briscoe were judicious in their words, some Cup drivers expressed their feelings on Twitter:
Trying to figure out what to tweet right now about the leaders just getting crashed while having an epic battle in @NASCAR_Xfinity ...but I’m so angry for them I’m sticking with this
— Matt DiBenedetto (@mattdracing) October 19, 2019
As a lap car it’s your responsibility to know what’s going on around around you. No excuse 3 laps down to be in the way of leaders racing hard for a win like that. Shame!
— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) October 19, 2019
Smithley took responsibility on Twitter:
Absolutely gutted for @ChaseBriscoe5 and @CBellRacing I take full responsibility. @FreddieKraft did nothing wrong. Sorry to everyone on the 20 and 98 teams. Feel awful.
— Garrett Smithley (@GarrettSmithley) October 19, 2019
Don’t even know what to say, felt like we’ve had a win right on our fingertips the last 3 weeks and something has happened but that’s part of big time auto racing. To have a ticket punched to Homestead 15 laps away and taken away is hard to handle but we will come back strong.
— Chase Briscoe (@ChaseBriscoe_14) October 19, 2019
