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Zane Smith calls out John Hunter Nemechek, reacts to 'violent' wall ride, flip at Kansas

ProfilePhotoby: Nick Geddes09/28/25NickGeddesNews
Zane Smith
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Zane Smith went for a wild ride during the final stage of Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway. As the leaders were about to take the white flag, Smith rode the wall in Turns 3 and 4 after contact with John Hunter Nemechek.

When Smith’s car came off the wall, it began flipping before coming to a halt on the apron. Smith called it a “violent” experience, calling out Nemechek for wrecking him and ruining his day.

“It was a wild ride, no doubt,” Smith told NBC Sports. “I had a decent restart going and I just get wrecked by the 42. He just drives through me and then I was sliding on the wall. I was just mad at that point from how our day was going and this just pissed me off even more because that’s what really hurt was just flipping down the track.

“It was violent, no doubt, but we had such a fast Speedy Cash Ford today. It’s just a bummer. Right before that caution came out, we were gonna have a top 10 day, racing up inside the top 10 a majority of the day and it’s a shame that it has to come to an end that way.”

Zane Smith went for a wild ride at Kansas

After first making contact with Smith, Nemechek came down the track and clipped both Ty Gibbs and Josh Berry. Berry explained the incident from his vantage point.

“It looked like Zane and the 42 had got together obviously and Zane was up on his side,” Berry said. “I just tried to go by on the bottom and the 42 spun down and clipped us in the right rear and we wrecked, so it’s just part of being back there. It’s an overtime restart and everybody has to make up for how bad they ran all day and try to pass everybody in one corner.”

Smith was credited with a 31st-place finish at Kansas, one spot ahead of Nemechek. He has had an up-and-down first season with Front Row Motorsports, tallying four top 10s with an average finish of 20.9.