When other cars crowd you, pull aside. Don't take that risk, let them go ahead and laugh at them if they get stuck.

The smoke from your hood is normal, that's your exhaust manifold going from red-hot to ice-cold in seconds.

If it's AT, it's possible that the fluid may have been polluted, otherwise, one of your sensors may have been compromised by running through water. There could be the odd electrical problem, too, from corrosion and wiring degradation.