NASCAR suspends 9 people from 3 teams, issues $600K in fines for…read more
NASCAR recently announced severe penalties for actions taken by multiple teams during the final laps of last weekend’s Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, where nine personnel from three teams were suspended and $600,000 in fines were issued. The teams of Bubba Wallace, Austin Dillon, and Ross Chastain were cited for breaching NASCAR’s Member Code of Conduct, resulting in a $100,000 fine and a 50-point deduction for each team and driver. No drivers, however, faced suspensions.
NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer, emphasized that these penalties reflect NASCAR’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the sport. Sawyer explained that, unlike past disciplinary actions, NASCAR decided to target team leadership, with penalties affecting a team executive, crew chief, and spotter from each team. From 23XI Racing, Dave Rogers, Bootie Barker, and Freddie Kraft were suspended. At Richard Childress Racing, Keith Rodden, Justin Alexander, and Brandon Benesch faced suspensions. Trackhouse Racing saw Tony Lunders, Phil Surgen, and Brandon McReynolds penalized.
The controversy centers around the end of the Martinsville race, where Chevrolet drivers Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain held back from overtaking William Byron, allowing him to secure his spot in the Championship 4 over Christopher Bell. Radio communications between the drivers and their crews, later aired by NBC, suggested strategic cooperation to protect Byron’s position. In one exchange, Dillon asked his spotter if Chastain’s crew was aware of “the deal” to avoid passing Byron, implying an orchestrated effort to benefit Byron.
Despite penalizing team members, NASCAR imposed no sanctions on the manufacturers involved—Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford—since there is currently no provision in the rulebook for penalizing manufacturers directly. NASCAR has indicated it will review this policy in the offseason, and representatives from each manufacturer are scheduled to meet with NASCAR officials soon.
In the meantime, all three teams affected—Trackhouse Racing, Richard Childress Racing, and 23XI Racing—have announced plans to appeal the penalties, with hearings to be expedited this week. Sawyer noted that NASCAR will also meet with drivers in the coming days to reinforce its stance on maintaining fair competition.
