Major Penalities follow Martinsville Shenangians

NASCAR used data and team scanners from the final laps of Sunday’s Round of 8 elimination race to determine that certain actions breached sections 4.4.B&D: NASCAR Member Conduct of the Rule Book, which prohibits race manipulation and conduct detrimental to racing.

As a result, NASCAR imposed penalties on drivers Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing), Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing), and Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing), each receiving a deduction of 50 driver points and a $100,000 fine. Additionally, NASCAR penalized each team’s owners with a $100,000 fine and a loss of 50 owner points.

Crew chiefs Phil Surgen, Justin Alexander, and Bootie Barker, along with their spotters—Brandon McReynolds, Brandon Benesch, and Freddie Kraft—were also suspended from the 2024 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Team executives Tony Lunders, Keith Rodden, and Dave Rogers face the same suspension for the season-ending race.

Following these penalties, Richard Childress Racing, 23XI Racing, and Trackhouse Racing announced plans to appeal.

“We took and looked at the most recent penalty that we had written for an infraction, very similar, which was the 41 car a couple of years ago at the Roval,” said NASCAR Senior VP of Competition Elton Sawyer. “We felt like we wanted to ramp this one up, and we did; we did that in a way that we included team leadership. And this one, something that we feel like that, you know, we want to get our point across that it’s a responsibility of all of us, the team owners, the team leadership, as well as ourselves here at NASCAR to uphold the integrity of our sport.”

The penalties stem from incidents late in last weekend’s 500-lap race. As William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet began losing ground, he dropped back, placing him just above the elimination line in the playoff standings, one point ahead of Christopher Bell, who was running in 19th as the first car a lap down.

Meanwhile, as Ryan Blaney surged to his Championship 4-securing victory, Chastain and Dillon effectively created a buffer behind Byron, running side-by-side without passing him in the final 10 laps, which might have jeopardized Byron’s advancement to the Championship 4 had they completed passes.

On another part of the track, Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota significantly slowed in the last five laps and eventually got lapped by Blaney. On the final lap, Bell passed the slowing Wallace in Turn 3, sliding through the track marbles and riding along the outside retaining wall to cross the finish line in 18th.

Initially, Bell appeared set to advance to the Championship 4 via a tiebreaker, but NASCAR reviewed the video and ruled Bell’s move a safety violation. This was done to follow suit with Ross Chastain’s wall ride in 2022 that was banned only weeks later when NASCAR met with stakeholders and drivers to discuss the maneuver and it’s safety implications. This ultimately relegated Bell to 22nd place as the final car one lap down and gave Byron enough points to advance.

In related news, Richard Childress Racing crew members Josh Sobecki (jackman) and Michael Russell (front tire changer) were suspended for two races, extending through the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, following a safety violation when the No. 8 Cup car lost a wheel at Martinsville.