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Zane Smith fires back at Ty Dillon after NASCAR All-Star Open threat

JHby: Jonathan Howard05/19/25Jondean25
Zane Smith NASCAR
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Following the NASCAR All-Star Race, Ty Dillon called out Zane Smith for in-race contact. Smith has responded. Last season, we saw Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch go at it. Are we going to see a Dillon vs. Smith fight?

The All-Star Open race was physical. It had to be. Passing is difficult and without contact, you aren’t going to make many passes without an insanely fast car.

Ty Dillon spoke to Dirty Mo Media after the Open Race. He said, “If he [Zane Smith] wrecks me again I’m just going to beat his ass.” This apparently isn’t a one-race incident either.

Zane responded on Twitter/X and said, “Ain’t beating nobody’s ass.” The 2022 Truck Series champion is not taking the threat from Ty Dillon too seriously. We will see how that works for him the rest of the season.

So, the next time Zane Smith and Ty Dillon get into each other, Dillon has to do something, right? He was called out by Smith directly. After looking him face to face and telling him as much, the warning from Dillon has had no effect on Smith. Now you gotta prove it, right?

Smith has shown flashes this season. He has a top-10 from Phoenix. He won the Talladega pole award. In the last seven races, he has six finishes of P19 or better. It has been a solid sophomore season.

In terms of points, Smith has the edge again this season. He is 22nd in points. Ty Dillon is 30th in points, trailing Smith by 39 points through 12 races.

Zane Smith having sneaky good season

This year, Front Row Motorsports has three young and talented drivers. Noah Gragson is the oldest of the trio at 26. This season, it was Todd Gilliland who was supposed to take that next step and be the face of FRM after Michael McDowell left.

Well, that hasn’t gone exactly to plan for Gilliland. He is tied in points with Zane Smith, but Smith currently has the tiebreaker. The season is still young, but time is ticking for these drivers to make a statement.

14 more races in the regular season, the racing will only get more intense. Every point will matter and every position as well. Even drivers like Smith and Gilliland, 22nd and 23rd in points, believe they are just a few great performances from making the playoffs.

Moving forward, keep an eye on the No. 38 car and the No. 10 car. Let’s see if Ty Dillon follows through on his comments and makes Zane Smith face the supposed consequences.