Zane Smith delivers a blunt response to Ty Dillon’s NASCAR All-Star meltdown

Front Row Motorsports' Zane Smith has fired back at Ty Dillon's angry outburst after the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The reaction followed Dillon's open threat to Smith during their heated post-race confrontation.

Driving the No. 10 Chevy for Kaulig Racing, Dillon narrowly missed the cut for the All-Star race with a third-place finish in the Open event. After the race, the 33-year-old engaged in an explosive exchange with Smith regarding an in-race contact between the two.

With North Wilkesboro Speedway being a short track, the Next Gen package makes passing a challenge, often forcing drivers into aggressive moves to gain position. In addition, the All-Star race's unique format and the substantial $1 million purse only add to the cut-throat dynamic.

When asked about the verbal spat, Dillon criticized younger drivers for lacking accountability and issued a warning that he won't hesitate to get physical if a similar incident occurs again.

"Coming off 4, I think I gave him plenty of room and he just doors me halfway down the straightaway..... I don't know there's something about the younger guys in the sport nowthat they've never had to deal with consequences so what I told him was, 'If he wrecks me again, I'm just gonna beat his a**,'" he said (via Dirty Mo Media's X handle).

Zane Smith has responded with a blunt message on his X handle, writing:

"Ain’t beating nobody’s a**."

Here's a clip of the initial confrontation post-race (via Dirty Mo Media's X handle):

Zane Smith finished sixth in the All-Star qualifier, his first top-10 finish after Phoenix, albeit in an 18-car field. His FRM teammate, Noah Gragson, won the fan vote to advance to Sunday night's All-Star Race, while Spire Motorsports' Carson Hocevar took the top step. Legacy Motor Club's John Hunter Nemechek followed close behind in second.

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Zane Smith rises among the ranks in Front Row Motorsports

Following Michael McDowell's exit from FRM last year, the team's lead driver's role was up for grabs, with Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, and Zane Smith all vying to be the next standout driver. While Gragson is the oldest of the trio, he currently ranks last among them with a 31st place in the Drivers' standings. Smith and Gilliland are tied for points at 22nd and 23rd, respectively.

In his favor, Smith recently recorded his first career pole at Talladega Superspeedway. Notably, McDowell was FRM's last driver to secure a pole at the 2.66-mile track.

Reflecting upon the feat, Zane Smith spoke to the media post-qualifying and said (via Yahoo Sports):

"I wish I could take a lot of the credit for it, but truthfully, just a really fast FRM Ford. TitleMax on the car, so, so cool. A pole sitter in the Cup Series, that's awesome. Just a huge shout out to all these (FRM) guys, they've been doing an awesome job this year."

Zane Smith went on to lead five laps at Talladega before falling down the order to finish at 19th.