The Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway couldn’t have gone worse for the members of NASCAR who need to make tough decisions. In the final moments at Martinsville, Christopher Bell hit the wall and rode it to the finish line in Turn 4. It took almost 30 minutes, but NASCAR deemed Bell committed a “safety violation.” Now, the sport is looking deeper into how Martinsville unfolded.
NASCAR is investigating the late-race behavior of several drivers and teams, specifically Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing), Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing), and Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing). Chastain and Dillon could have passed Chevrolet teammate William Byron but formed a wall to block the Ford of Brad Keselowski behind them. Meanwhile, Wallace dropped back to Bell, his Toyota teammate, enough to let him pass in the final corner.
It’s unclear what NASCAR will do about the late-race manipulation by Chevrolet and possibly Toyota, as Wallace claims he had an issue, but it could result in significant penalties. Could NASCAR remove Byron from the Championship 4? It seems unlikely, but NASCAR will likely issue severe penalties to the guilty parties sometime before Championship Weekend.
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