Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...
You know I had written something on IndyCar free agency and drivers on the market who have expressed interest about racing in IndyCar and how there are plenty of drivers out there who would make the grid better and while also helping attract viewers because these drivers have cult followings from a certain docuseries.
But we cannot read that because NASCAR has another mess on its hand and it could be the end of the playoff era. There will likely be a regulations overhaul this winter after last night's events. Formula One had its own mountain of controversy this weekend and even that does not compare. It has now become a yearly occasion where controversy gets in the way of deciding the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
NASCAR is not in the spotlight because of the competition. It isn't in the spotlight at all despite developing a system where winning is all that matters and the final races of the season become significantly more intense. Nobody is talking about the race winner Ryan Blaney, and nobody is celebrating who will be competing for the championship next week at Phoenix, like NASCAR wanted. Instead, we are in the muck of a dirty game wondering how to make it clean.
They Are All Guilty
With Ryan Blaney on his way to taking the checkered flag at Martinsville, it was clear the final spot in the championship four would be between William Byron and Christopher Bell. One driver was struggling on worn tires and the other driver was a lap down with only one spot ahead of him to gain, but half a track up the road.
It came down to one point separating Byron and Bell. Byron could not lose a spot and Bell needed one more. It all collided on the final lap.
With Byron struggling, the Chevrolets of Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon ran side-by-side behind Byron. Toyota's Bubba Wallace was the next car one-lap down and running slow on the outside of the track. Bell was driving to get that one final point.
The final turn decided it. Byron was set to finish sixth and not lose any more points. Wallace was directly ahead of Bell and Bell made his move to the inside of turn three. Bell got ahead of Wallace but hit the wall in turn four in the process. Staying on the throttle, Bell did what he could to stay ahead of Wallace. He got off the wall before the start/finish line and ahead of Wallace, ending tied on points with Byron but with the tiebreaker provisionally placing Bell as the fourth finalist with a shot at the title in Phoenix. However, after Ross Chastain's move two years ago, NASCAR had implemented a rule banning drivers from riding the wall to gain positions.
Nearly a half hour after the checkered flag was waved, NASCAR penalized Bell for his move, declaring it a safety violation. He lost four spots, four points and Byron was awarded the final championship spot. However, Byron was hardly a victim.
While waiting for NASCAR's final decision on the results, scanner radio was played from Dillon's crew updating Dillon on Byron's playoff position and asking if Chastain's team was aware of the "deal" that was in place. Wallace had also received messages about Bell's peril of needing a point, and Wallace saying he thought he had a tire going down before being told to move to the outside of the track.
Despite the final spot in the finale coming down to two drivers from two separate organizations, there were three other teams highly invested in the outcome and who made it to Phoenix.
Bell was penalized because there was a rule in place and it was interpreted he broke the rule. As much as Bell could argue it was different and he did not deliberately drive into the wall with in-car video showing him doing all he could to stay off the SAFER Barrier, he forced NASCAR to make a decision, and it was decided he had gone too far.
However, the radio messages heard are not different from other radio comments that have received penalties previously. It was only two years ago Stewart-Haas Racing had mentioned to Cole Custer over the radio about Chase Briscoe needing a position in the final race of the second round from Charlotte's roval. Custer allowed Briscoe ahead and Briscoe advanced to the next round. In the aftermath, Custer was penalizes 50 points and crew chief Mike Shiplett was indefinitely suspended. Shiplett missed the remainder of the season and was reinstated on January 10, 2023.
It was 11 years ago Clint Bowyer spun at Richmond in an attempt to help then-Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Martin Truex, Jr. make the playoffs. The comments and the deliberate spin led to points penalties to Bowyer and Truex, Jr., which took Truex, Jr. out of the playoffs despite Truex, Jr. knowing nothing of the incident. It also led to a $300,000 fine to the team and it led Napa Auto Parts to withdraw its sponsorship from MWR at the end of that season, forcing the team to contract one car and release Truex, Jr.
That moment at Richmond led to vigilance from NASCAR against race manipulation. It didn't want the credibility of its races questioned and it did not want teams and drivers actively trying to orchestrate a particular outcome.
No matter how hard it tries, with the current playoff format, it is almost impossible to regulate. That is especially true when the manufacturers are involved.
It is pretty apparent Trackhouse's Ross Chastian and Richard Childress Racing's Austin Dillon were doing all they could to keep Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron from losing more positions. It is pretty apparent 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace was looking out for Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell.
NASCAR can deduct all the driver points and owner points it wants. It can raise the fines another $100,000 and effectively sentence crew chiefs to death, barring them from ever stepping foot in a garage again, but when the manufacturers are pulling the strings, nothing will change.
Chevrolet deciding it will do all it can to guarantee a Chevrolet participant in the championship four can only be prevented if Chevrolet is penalized, but NASCAR would never punish a manufacturer. Teams will come and go. We saw that with Michael Waltrip Racing, but NASCAR cannot afford to lose a manufacturer. It is not going to issue a fine that would really hurt a partner. The last thing NASCAR can afford to do is scare away a company that supplies engines to nearly half the grid. As much as a $5 million fine or $10 million fine would send a message, it would also be business suicide and hurt the teams far more even if done for the integrity of competition.
But that is the only way conceivable way to prevent what we saw last night at Martinsville. You can write all the rules in the world saying a team must "give 100%" and "must race honestly" and "cannot manipulate the result," but if there is an entity that is always above the rules, nothing will change. It will happen again. A few foot soldiers will be lost but a few more will be found for when the time comes to do it again.
The little guy (whether that be crew chief, driver, or team owner) suffers while the major corporate gets off scot free. A tale as old as time.
They are all guilty, but that does not make everything right. The problem is I don't know how this changes. Even without a playoff format, there would still be instances with drivers needing a point here or there. A full season championship makes it less likely to determine an outcome, but it is not entirely eliminated. I think we can all understand if the chance still exists but with this format it happens on a far more regular basis and it honestly exists at the end of every playoff round.
Thirty-plus years ago, Hendrick Motorsports isn't pulling over for Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress Racing. Junior Johnson isn't pulling over for Rusty Wallace and Team Penske or Davey Allison and Robert Yates Racing, but in the 21st century, manufacturer influence is far greater.
These teams are more dependent on the manufacturers' for success. Teams cannot test every day it is not racing. There is virtually no practice time. Any improvement that can be made must come from wind tunnels or simulators. Guess who controls those resources? These are separate teams but there is pressure for them all to get along, and manufacturer favoritism has far greater sway in this world of limitations. That has been clear as day at Daytona and Talladega, as over the last decade the manufacturers will work almost exclusively together to put their cars at the front. It has now expanded to deciding who will run for a championship.
NASCAR hasn't been good ole' competition for a long time. It has been a multi-billion dollar monster for the entire 21st century. These teams will do all they cannot to lose a dollar in support. When told jump, they will respond with, "How high?" They are no better than what you see in Formula One or the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. When there is this much money at stake from the manufacturers, they get to call some shots, likely more than you wish. This is the deal everyone has made to survive. It isn't changing anytime soon.
It is going to come in play next week at Phoenix even if it is not as explicit as it was at Martinsville. There is no incentive for Stewart-Haas Racing or RFK Racing to win at Phoenix. Richard Childress Racing has nothing to gain from winning the finale. Even Joe Gibbs Racing has nothing to play for. For Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota, all that matters are the championship finalists.
Ross Chastain might have won the finale last year for Trackhouse, but Ford's Ryan Blaney won the championship finishing second and directly ahead of fellow finalists Chevrolet's Kyle Larson and Chevrolet's William Byron. Anyone with a pulse knows Chevrolet didn't give a damn about Chastain winning that race, especially when it showed up to Phoenix as the only manufacturer with two bullets in the gun.
Last year was a lesson, and it will not be repeated. We already know there is a plan in place coming from a much higher power.
Champions From the Weekend
The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche of Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor clinched the World Endurance Drivers' Championship with a tenth-place finish in the 8 Hours of Bahrain.
Toyota clinched the World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship with a victory in Bahrain, Toyota's sixth consecutive championship.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Ryan Blaney, but did you know...
Max Verstappen won the Brazilian Grand Prix, his eighth victory of the season and it ended ten-race winless drought for Verstappen. Lando Norris won the sprint race.
Francesco Bagnaia won MotoGP's Malaysian Grand Prix, his tenth victory of the season. Jorge Martín won the sprint race. Celestino Vietti won the Moto2 race, his third victory of the season. David Alonso won the Moto3 race, his 13th victory of the season and his sixth consecutive victory.
The #8 Toyota of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa won the 8 Hours of Bahrain. The #55 AF Corse Ferrari of François Heriau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera won in LMGT3.
Aric Almirola won the Grand National Series race, his third victory of the season. Christian Eckes won the Truck race, his fourth victory of the season.
The #36 TGR Team au TOM'S Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita won the Super GT race from Motegi. The #88 JLOC Lamborghini of Takashi Kogure and Yuya Motojima won in GT300.
Coming Up This Weekend
The NASCAR season finale from Phoenix.
Super Formula ends its season with a doubleheader at Suzuka. Sho Tsuboi is up 14.5 points on Tadasuke Makino with 46 points left on the table. Tomoki Nojiri, Ayuma Iwasa, Nirei Fukuzumi and Kenta Yamahsita are also alive for the championship.
