Zane Smith, Michael McDowell Engage in Heated Pit Road Exchange Post-Race
It's clear, following the end of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International, that Zane Smith and Michael McDowell will not be making friendship bracelets for each other any time soon.
McDowell, who is set to take over the seat of the No. 71 in 2025, wasn't pleased with the rookie driver after the two engaged in a full-contact battle for a top-five position during the race's final overtime restart.
Contact on the race track, words off of it.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 15, 2024
An exchange between @Mc_Driver and @ZaneSmith. pic.twitter.com/OvFi1HSHo1
The battle started coming to the white flag, when Smith doored McDowell and moved the No. 34 Ford Mustang up the racetrack, sneaking by on the inside. It wasn't long before the Front Row Motorsports driver returned the favor, shoving the No. 71 into Turn 1 and leaving him next-to-no room headed up the esses.
As Carson Hocevar and Ross Chastain, the two drivers battling for third-place, accordioned in front of McDowell and Smith, running fifth and sixth, the No. 71 returned to the rear-bumper of McDowell, and like a dog with a bone (see what I did there?) sent McDowell up the track again.
Smith went on to finish fifth, his second top-five of his NASCAR Cup Series career, while McDowell slipped back to seventh-place, after post-season eligible driver Chase Briscoe snuck to the inside to steal sixth.
After several back-and-forth rounds of contact, McDowell wasn't pleased AT ALL, slamming into the side of the No. 71 down the frontstretch and at the exit of the first corner, before jetting away to get out of his Benebone-sponsored machine.
Did Zane Smith get the message? Yeah, probably, but McDowell just wanted to do his due diligence and came up to the 25-year-old driver on pit road to further "discuss" his displeasure. Neither driver is part of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, so there will be no adverse impact of this contact, except maybe a new budding rivalry.
JOSEPH SRIGLEY