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Following NASCAR’s XFINITY 500 at Martinsville Speedway, the governing body has imposed severe penalties on drivers and teams accused of race manipulation. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace were each fined $100,000 for their involvement in the alleged infractions.
Controversy over potential manipulation cast a shadow on Ryan Blaney’s win at the intense 500-lap race. During the weekend, Toyota and Chevrolet faced scrutiny for possibly aiding their respective teammates in securing a spot in the Championship 4.
The investigation began after radio communications surfaced, suggesting that Dillon and Chastain, both Chevrolet drivers, might have assisted William Byron by refraining from overtaking his #24 car or blocking other competitors from doing so. Similarly, Wallace, driving the #23 Toyota, faced accusations of slowing on the final lap, potentially allowing teammate Christopher Bell’s #20 car to pass. Both Wallace and 23XI Racing have denied these allegations, but NASCAR officials determined otherwise.
Citing violations under sections 4.4.B&D of NASCAR’s Member Conduct Rule Book—which covers race manipulation and conduct deemed detrimental to the sport—the governing body fined each driver $100,000 and deducted 50 driver points. In addition, each team owner faced a $100,000 fine and a 50-point deduction in owner standings, leading to an overall $600,000 penalty.
NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer, addressed the controversy, discussing the emphasis on penalizing team leadership as part of the response to uphold racing integrity. Sawyer highlighted that this approach differs from past instances, aiming to hold teams and their leadership accountable. He referenced a prior incident involving Stewart-Haas Racing’s #41 team, which faced similar consequences for allegedly assisting Chase Briscoe at Charlotte Roval.
Speaking on the ruling, Sawyer stated (via AP News), “In this case, we felt we wanted to focus more on team leadership, something that we haven’t done in the past. But that does not exclude future actions. We have meetings scheduled with our drivers, where we’ll clearly communicate that compromising the integrity of our sport will prompt a firm response.”
Following the penalties, 23XI Racing released a statement on behalf of Wallace, team owner Michael Jordan, and co-owner Denny Hamlin, disputing the decision and indicating plans to appeal the ruling.