MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Aric Almirola won Saturday’s Xfinity race at Martinsville Speedway, while the Championship 4 field was set.
Justin Allgaier and reigning series champion Cole Custer secured spots in next week’s title race, joining Austin Hill and AJ Allmendinger.
MORE: Martinsville results
MORE: Driver points after Martinsville
MORE: Reseeded points after Martinsville
Chandler Smith, upset with how Custer raced him late, slapped Custer on pit road after the race.
#NASCAR… Chandler Smith strikes Cole Custer after the Xfinity race pic.twitter.com/TR8dgUWxrG
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) November 2, 2024
“Granted, I have done him dirty a few times this year and I owned up to it, reached out to him, apologized and made amends and all that,” Smith said. “Right then I beat his bumper off for five laps. I didn’t never ship him and then finally I shipped him.
“The caution came out, he picks behind me and doesn’t even give me a chance going into Turn 1. I get it, but at the end of the day I thought it was a little bit of a (expletive) move, honestly.”
Said Custer: “I guess he’s mad, but what comes around goes around. 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.”
Almirola’s seventh career Xfinity win secured a spot for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing car to race for the owner’s title next week. Almirola won both stages along with the race.
Sammy Smith finished second. Chandler Smith was third. Custer placed fourth. Allgaier was fifth.
Stage 1 winner: Aric Almirola
Stage 2 winner: Aric Almirola
Next: A champion will be crowned as the season ends Saturday, Nov. 9 at Phoenix Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on CW Network).
