At least for the next month, through the duration of what could be the final season under the current NASCAR elimination playoff format, the Sanctioning Body is working to stay ahead of any attempts to manipulate races and advancement into the final four.
This comes in the aftermath of what transpired last year in the penultimate race at Martinsville, a concerted Chevrolet blockade that prevented anyone from passing William Byron over the final laps, which led to the elimination of Christopher Bell. There was also a penalty to Bubba Wallace for radio transmissions indicating efforts to manipulate the results to get Bell the position he needed to advance over Byron.
This has been rehashed over the past week due to several suspect radio transmissions and post-race media scrums that indicated at least some efforts to orchestrate certain outcomes.
- Alex Bowman was told to save tires behind Ross Chastain, who was tied with Joey Logano at the cutline
- Cole Custer was told to save tires behind Logano
- Hamlin passed Chastain to move Logano into the transfer, with Hamlin expressing a degree of consideration towards not making that pass as he would rather see Chastain advance over the defending champion
- Chastain crashed Hamlin on the final lap trying to get the point back to advance over Logano
Unlike previous instances that resulted in penalties and fines, NASCAR chose not to issue any because there was nothing in ‘save your tires’ that rose to the blatant level of race manipulation that wasn’t covered by plausible deniability.
NASCAR officials have warned teams this week about not doing anything that would hurt the integrity of the sport and warrant punitive action but this also created a conversation this week about how much information about the standings of other teams a driver should be made aware of during a race.
Hamlin wants more info
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet and Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota spin out; Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford; Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images
Hamlin says he wants all the information for both safety and competition reasons. In real time last week, Hamlin didn’t know why Chastain drove right through him in the final corner.
“I would like to know if I’m vulnerable spot, that the person behind me is emboldened to make a bold move and then put me broadside in the middle of the racetrack to get you,” Hamlin said. “… I mean, we were just kind of sitting in the middle of the racetrack backwards. I think it’s important to know that, and then I don’t see any reason why I can’t know what the point situation is.”
NASCAR warned several teams in both Cup and Xfinity during the races last weekend about talking about the standings regarding any other car number.
Hamlin says manipulation is something that can be visibly seen, like what happened at Martinsville, but he also pondered if it’s fair game to have the right to openly decide which of Logano or Chastain advanced into the Round of 8.
NASCAR hasn’t cleared that up.
“Whether I finish(ed) 17th or 18th meant zero, nothing,” Hamlin said. “At that point, then I actually gained the advantage by being able to choose if I so choose, if I wanted to (but) I don’t know whether that’s – I still don’t know whether that’s acceptable or not.”
NASCAR also hasn’t cleared up if it would have penalized Chastain if his Hail Mary crashing Hamlin had worked.
I said on my podcast that I what I did to (Ross) Chastain at Phoenix, I don’t know how it’s any different whatsoever,” Hamlin said of a points penalty he received for admitting retaliation in 2023. “I’m not saying there should be a penalty for Ross or anything but an intentional wreck is an intentional wreck. What’s the difference? I certainly would like that clarification sooner and more later, so we all know what to expect.”
Speaking about Hamlin possibly choosing to let Chastain advance over Logano, Blaney recognized there was nuance to be had, even if there was a purist’s pushback to even having the option.
“There are two different thoughts, right, because let’s say Denny knew the whole situation, and I know he didn’t, but (would be) making a conscious decision to not pass (Chastain) to keep another competitor out,” Blaney said. “He’s thinking long term, which is the future of his season but at the moment but you could also say he’s not running 100 percent.
“But he’s playing a long game if it’s better to keep this guy in or out.”
A week later, how did Logano feel about that dynamic?
“I guess in that scenario, Denny would have to ask himself, ‘What is going to give me the best chance to win the championship,’ if that is your number one goal,” Logano said. “If that is your main goal to do that, ‘what gives me the best chances to win the whole thing,’ that’s pretty gray but I don’t really know. It’s pretty tough. …
“Is one competitor tougher than the other? I don’t know. I don’t know if you want to race against either one of us. Ross has proven to do whatever it takes to get to the next round or to win. He’s done that multiple times. Do you want to race against him? I don’t know. Do you want to race against us? I don’t think so, either. You’re probably in a no-win situation, so you might as well just pass him and go and get a better spot.”
It’s all a product of the format — Bell
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after controversial Martinsville finish
Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Bell, given that the Chevrolet blockade kept him out of the final four last year, has a personal connection to this kind of racing too.
If Hamlin had made the decision to not pass Chastain to let him advance over Logano, is that race manipulation?
“I mean, it is but it’s a product of the format that we’re racing under right now,” Bell said. “So, it’s been happening a lot longer than I think most people realize and people are just finally starting to talk about it.
“But, yeah, I think everything that happens is a product of the format that we’re racing under.”
Blaney, having stated that he doesn’t like it from a purist’s standpoint, also acknowledged that Formula 1 races see team principals blatantly tell drivers not to pass a teammate and that’s just the way it is.
“It gets to be murky water quickly and I just hate that it’s even a topic,” Blaney said. “It always ends poorly. F1 deals with this all the time. They at least always come out and say it, ‘don’t pass him’ and they never get a hard time for it. That to me is not right either. I just wish it could play out naturally, that if you can pass someone, you pass them. It can get pretty weird pretty quick and takes away the purity of motorsports a little bit.”
Josh Berry summed it all up pretty succinctly.
“It seems like there’s a line, although it’s a squiggly line I guess,” Berry said. “I feel like we should know the point situation. I think there’s too much on the line. I guess everybody can have a different opinion of that.
“For someone like me, if you line up for a late-race restart or at a race like last week where there’s all this chaos. It’s nice to know what’s going on around you before you weigh the risk of the moves you make. Long story short, I feel like if we get to a point where we can’t talk about the points at all, then we might as well just punt and have a different system.”
For now, everyone agrees that NASCAR should probably be clearer about what the expectations are. Blaney would like to have a little more conversation with Cup Series officials.
“No one likes seeing that stuff, like it’s not pure motorsports to me,” Blaney said. “It’s tough because you have the teams and the manufacturers and as a driver, you’re kind of handcuffed to an extent because you feel like you have to do what your team is asking you to do, and it’s just a murky situation,” Blaney said. “I just wish we could go out there and race, not be responsible for this or that guy, and focus on what’s best for you.
“I don’t think it would hurt for us all to have a conversation with NASCAR and have penalties involved if certain situations come about. We’ll see …”
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