“Can’t Just Make Up Penalties”: NASCAR Punishing Culprits of Martinsville Race Manipulation Upsets Former Crew Chief

Martinsville Speedway always promises fireworks, but this time the race drama extended far beyond the track and into the NASCAR boardroom. Following a controversy-laden Xfinity 500, officials dropped the hammer on some of NASCAR’s most talked-about names. They punished three teams under egregious allegations of race manipulation. Fans and industry insiders alike are now debating whether the league’s actions were necessary or excessive. So, how did things spiral into this mess, and why is everyone from former crew chiefs to team execs sounding off?

It wasn’t long before renowned NASCAR names began weighing in on the debate, with Jimmie Johnson’s former crew chief Todd Gordon giving his opinion on the situation.

Todd Gordon jumps in on Martinsville debate

Todd Gordon is no stranger to controversies in NASCAR. When he worked with Joey Logano, the crew chief ran into trouble during Team Penske’s 2017 win at Richmond. The win was thrown out after a 1/32-inch gap was found between the pinion shim and the truck arm surface on the right truck arm. As a result, he received a fine of $50,000. However, one thing to note is this violation was as per the regulations. As Gordon explained on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, what happened in Martinsville last weekend was not a situation defined in the rulebook.

He highlighted the difficulty of doling out punishments that aren’t explicitly detailed in the rulebook. “We can only penalize by what we have published in the rulebook. You can’t go give penalties that aren’t out there,” Gordon noted, pointing out that the fines and point deductions represent the maximum allowed by current guidelines. Still, he hinted that future rulebook revisions could include harsher consequences for race manipulation, depending on how NASCAR evaluates this debacle.

Gordon further acknowledged the emotional frustration that comes with watching strategic race manipulation unfold. However, he was also quick to emphasize the need for consistency and transparency. “We don’t need to see manipulation of a race, and we did from a couple different sides,” he admitted. Yet he warned, “NASCAR can’t be cavalier and just make up penalties.” While suspensions have some discretionary room, Gordon believed any financial or point penalties must stay within printed regulations. There’s a delicate balance, he argued, between enforcing rules and overstepping authority.

As teams like Richard Childress Racing and 23XI Racing prepare to appeal the decisions, the broader question looms: how will NASCAR handle similar situations in the future? Will the current backlash push officials to strengthen the rulebook? Or will the appeals process yield more leniency for the penalized teams? One thing is clear: this Martinsville fallout is more than just a blip on the radar. It’s a test of how NASCAR balances competitive fairness, the strategic intricacies of team racing, and the ever-present need to maintain fan trust.

Suspensions and Fines Galore

So, what exactly prompted NASCAR to act? In the race’s closing laps, it seemed like Chevrolet drivers Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon, running in formation behind William Byron, deliberately avoided passing their fellow Chevy competitor. Byron was teetering on the brink of elimination from the Championship 4, so any aggressive move could have spelled disaster for his title chances. Allegations swirled about a coordinated effort to block, effectively protecting Byron’s championship hopes.

On the Toyota front, the pilot of the No.23 23XI car, Bubba Wallace came under fire for allegedly slowing down to assist the No. 20 of Christopher Bell, his fellow Toyota driver, in a crucial bid to edge out Byron. The aftermath of the Martinsville showdown was anything but quiet. Christopher Bell received a heavily disputed penalty for allegedly wall-riding on the final lap. NASCAR also issued hefty fines and season-ending suspensions to Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, and their respective teams. Citing race manipulation, the league slapped each driver with a $100,000 fine and docked them 50 driver points.

The teams’ owners, including Trackhouse Racing and 23XI Racing, faced similar financial and point penalties. Adding to the consequences, crew chiefs Phil Surgen (Trackhouse), Justin Alexander (Richard Childress Racing), and Bootie Barker (23XI), along with their spotters Brandon McReynolds, Brandon Benesch, and Freddie Kraft, all received suspensions from participating in the 2024 season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Stay tuned. The road to Phoenix just got a whole lot bumpier.