"Poor Cole Custer is going to be in the ICU": NASCAR fans ridicule Chandler Smith's 'pathetic' altercation with defending Xfinity Series champion

NASCAR fans have taunted Chandler Smith for a seemingly weak punch he threw at defending Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer. This comes after the rivals' on-track battle at the Martinsville Speedway, which saw Custer punch his Championship 4 ticket while Smith got eliminated.

The National Debt Relief 250 got wrapped up, with Aric Almirola sweeping all stages and the race win. Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, and Cole Custer have advanced for the title fight at Phoenix Raceway. Joe Gibbs Racing's Smith finished third in the 250-lap event but the podium finish proved insufficient to propel him for the season finale.

However, the outcome could've been different if the on-track scuffle had not transpired between Custer and Smith. On Lap 220, the JGR driver bumped out the Stewart-Haas Racing rival to grab second place. Seven laps later, the latter retaliated during a restart, pushing Smith out of the race line. Both drivers lost track positions, but the incident proved detrimental for the #81 JGR driver.

Following the battle, Chandler Smith confronted Cole Custer on the pit road. The duo exchanged words and shortly into their heated exchange, the JGR driver punched the SHR rival.

The punch, however, appeared quite soft following which the NASCAR fanbase mocked the JGR driver.

"Poor Cole is going to be in the ICU with that pathetic hit 🤣 🤣," a fan sarcastically commented.

"Chandler hits like a girl lol," one fan wrote.

"This might very well be the weakest punch in the history of NASCAR and that’s saying something," a fan opined.

One fan shared a hilarious GIF of a funny catfight.

"Custer laughing after "a punch" whatever that was the Chandler Smith tries to throw haha 😂," one fan commented.

While Smith doesn't have an Xfinity Series ride thus far for the next year, Cole Custer will mark his Cup Series return with the Haas Factory Team.

"A chickens**t move honestly": Chandler Smith makes his feelings known about on-track drama involving Cole Custer

While Chandler Smith boiled with frustration after jumping out of his #81 Toyota, he was quite cool-headed during the post-race interview. The JGR driver outlined having tremendous respect for Custer and talked about doing dirty to the latter in a handful of races.

The most recent incident between the two occurred in the playoff opener at the Kansas Speedway. Custer and Smith ferociously battled for the lead but Aric Almirola snuck through, capitalizing on their exchanging blows to park his car in the victory lane.

Smith said he apologized to Custer for his previous run-ins, as he elaborated on the closing laps fight with the rival in Martinsville. He said (via Dustin Long):

“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. 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 chickens**t move, honestly,” Smith said.

As Chandler Smith is out of the title fight, the best Xfinity ranking he can settle on is a P5.