After the conclusion of the Cup Series race on Sunday night, NASCAR left Martinsville Speedway in a no-win situation. It took over 20 minutes for NASCAR to settle on Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron as the Championship 4; however, how did we reach that point? It’s a complicated process that could lead to severe NASCAR penalties.
Christopher Bell initially made the Championship 4 on points; however, he passed Bubba Wallace in the final corners and rode the wall to the finish line. Bell was one point below Byron and needed to tie as he held the tiebreaker. Instead of letting Bell’s ride on the wall stand, NASCAR deemed it to be a “safety violation” and put him at the tail of drivers one lap down.
Meanwhile, Byron held the sixth position after Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain intentionally held back, blocking the Ford of Brad Keselowski since they knew their Chevrolet teammate couldn’t afford to lose a spot. The race manipulation by Chevrolet and Toyota, who saw Bubba Wallace fall back to Bell, has been at the center of the controversy at Martinsville.
Austin Dillon's onboard
What was said on the radio that wouldn't have been said during a normal race & the finish to the race. pic.twitter.com/ViiiJrHlYk
— Andrew (@Basso488) November 4, 2024
Dillon’s radio communications of “knowing the deal” regarding Byron is a horrible look and one that NASCAR will look further into this week. Either way, NASCAR must lay down significant penalties that include the possibility of removing Byron from the Championship 4. In 2013, Joey Logano was removed from the Chase after Team Penske and Front Row Motorsports had a “deal” to let him earn the needed point to advance.
As for Wallace, the Toyota camp should be penalized if NASCAR finds foul play, as race manipulation is unacceptable. Chevrolet’s organized race manipulation with Dillon and Chastain needs to be ruled accordingly, and the same goes for Toyota and Wallace. NASCAR must enforce a massive statement this week and be unprecedented in fixing and saving the playoff format from these shenanigans moving forward.
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