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NASCAR has issued significant penalties to three teams, including Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing, following a review of potential race manipulation during Sunday’s Martinsville Cup race. The affected teams include the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace from 23XI Racing, the No. 3 Chevrolet of Austin Dillon from Richard Childress Racing (RCR), and the No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain from Trackhouse Racing. The penalties were imposed after an examination of the radio communications between team members during the race.
Each of the three teams and drivers received the same penalty: a $100,000 fine for both the team and the driver, the loss of 50 driver and owner points, and one-race suspensions for the crew chiefs, spotters, and key team personnel.
Impact of the Penalties on Each Team
23XI Racing: The team’s executive, Dave Rogers, crew chief Bootie Barker, and spotter Freddie Kraft have all been suspended. Bubba Wallace’s points penalty drops him from 17th to 18th in the standings.
Trackhouse Racing: Team executive Tony Lunders, crew chief Phil Surgen, and spotter Brandon McReynolds are also suspended for one race. Ross Chastain remains in 19th place in the standings despite the penalty.
Richard Childress Racing (RCR): Team executive Keith Rodden, crew chief Justin Alexander, and spotter Brandon Benesch face suspensions for one race. The 50-point penalty drops Austin Dillon from 28th to 33rd in the driver standings.
Initially, all three teams planned to appeal the penalties, but 23XI Racing has since withdrawn its appeal. The team issued a statement explaining their decision:
“After internal deliberations, 23XI has decided not to appeal NASCAR's decision to penalize the No. 23 team. We disagree with the penalty ruling and strongly believe we did not break any rules at Martinsville. It is our conclusion that it is in our best interests, and that of our team members, partners, and fans, to fully devote our personnel and resources this week toward the championship and not an appeal.”
Reason of Penalties?
The penalties stem from actions in the closing laps of the Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville. With the race nearing its end, Christopher Bell was a lap down and unable to advance, while William Byron was struggling on old tires but holding onto a narrow points lead. Dillon and Chastain seemed to work together, running side-by-side behind Byron without attempting to pass him, effectively blocking any challengers from gaining on Byron. At one point, the No. 3 team even asked if the No. 1 team knew "the deal" and instructed Dillon’s crew chief to communicate with Chastain’s crew chief.
Meanwhile, Wallace, who was half a lap ahead of Bell, made a radio comment: "God forbid if we don’t help a f****** JGR car." As Bell’s situation became more desperate, Wallace dramatically slowed his pace, citing a potential tire issue, although later checks revealed all his tires were fully inflated. Wallace’s pace fluctuated erratically, but he remained on track. On the final lap, he lost nearly three seconds, allowing Bell to catch up and pass him just before the final corner.
Bell ultimately secured the point he needed to make it into the Championship 4, but his position was later negated by NASCAR’s penalty, which came after Bell made contact with the wall following the pass on Wallace.
