NASCAR News: 3 teams to be investigated for Xfinity 500 finish (2nd Update)

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel today heard and considered an appeal of a behavior penalty issued on November 5, 2024 to driver Ty Majeski in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (see table below)

The penalty concerns the following sections of the 2024 NASCAR Rule Book: Sections 4.4.A NASCAR Member Code of Conduct. The penalty issued was a $12,500 fine to the driver.

Upon hearing the testimony, the decisions of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel are:

1. That the Appellant violated the Rule(s) set forth in the Penalty Notice.
2. That the Panel affirms and upholds the original Penalty assessed by NASCAR.

In reaching the above decision, the panel provided the following explanation: “Driver failed to meet contractual agreement with NASCAR. One of the most, if not most, important media obligations of the entire season.”

The Appeals Panel members for this hearing:

• Mr. Hunter Nickell
• Ms. Cathy Rice
• Mr. Lake Speed

The Appellant has the right to appeal the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer in accordance with the NASCAR Rule Book.

NASCAR penalized the Nos. 1, 3 and 23 Cup Series teams for Member Conduct violations during Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway.

After an investigation of the on-track data and team scanners from the final laps of Sunday’s Round of 8 elimination race, NASCAR determined the actions of those involved violated sections 4.4.B&D: NASCAR Member Conduct of the Rule Book, which include race manipulation and actions detrimental to stock car racing.

Drivers Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing), Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing), and Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing) were each hit with a loss of 50 driver points and a $100,000 fine. In addition, NASCAR also fined the owners of each team $100,000 and deducted 50 owner points each.

Crew chiefs Phil Surgen, Justin Alexander and Bootie Barker, along with their respective spotters Brandon McReynolds, Brandon Benesch and Freddie Kraft, were all suspended for the 2024 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Additionally, team executives Tony Lunders, Keith Rodden and Dave Rogers were also suspended for the 2024 finale at Phoenix.

Richard Childress Racing, 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing all announced that they would appeal the ruling.

“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,” NASCAR Senior VP of Competition Elton Sawyer said. “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.”

In the late stages of last weekend’s 500-lap race, William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet began to fade from the front of the field, which led to a series of on-track events that eventually resulted in Tuesday’s penalties.

Every spot lost dropped Byron closer to the elimination line, and he settled into sixth place on the track, just one point ahead of Christopher Bell in the provisional playoff standings and in position to advance to the Championship 4. Bell was running in 19th place at the time, the first car one lap down.

As Ryan Blaney pulled away for his Championship 4-clinching win, the Chevrolets of Chastain and Dillon effectively created a blockade behind Byron, both running side-by-side and not passing the No. 24 car over the final 10 laps. Completed passes by those cars may have dropped Byron out of the Championship 4.

Martinsville Penalty Report

NASCAR officials will look further into the on-track actions of multiple competitors Sunday night in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Xfinity 500 Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.

The No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet piloted by Ross Chastain, the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driven by Austin Dillon and the No. 23 Toyota of 23XI Racing wheeled by Bubba Wallace all fall under scrutiny for how they raced in the closing laps of Sunday’s Xfinity 500.

NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said Sunday the officials’ immediate focus in the moment centered around Christopher Bell’s wall ride in the final corner, but said he anticipated a deeper examination lied ahead once clear of Sunday’s event. NASCAR.com

There are allegations the teams used secret messages to work together to block certain drivers.