The Championship 4 was decided after the Cup Series race at Martinsville on November 3rd, 2024. William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevy Camaro ZL1, made the cut by the skin of his teeth when Christopher Bell was penalized for a safety violation, but that ruling might not stand. The sanctioning body is currently investigating potential race manipulation involving several drivers, including some from the NASCAR Chevy camp.
According to a report from NASCAR.com, the actions of NASCAR Chevy drivers Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon warrant looking into. Chastain, who drives the No. 1 Camaro, and Dillon, who drives the No. 3 Camaro, raced two-wide behind Byron in the closing laps at Martinsville. Neither driver made an attempt to pass Byron, which would have cost the No. 24 Chevy team valuable points in the Playoffs and eliminate him. They also created a blockade that prevented other competitors from passing Byron.
In-car audio revealed that Dillon’s team kept him updated on Byron’s position, both on track and in the Playoffs, throughout the race. Team members also alluded to working with Chastain as they raced side-by-side behind Byron, stating, “Does the No. 1 crew chief know the deal?”
Additionally, Shane Van Gisbergen, who was behind the wheel of the No. 16 Camaro, was told to remember that eventual winner Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, had slammed into him earlier in the race.
“Now don’t forget what the 12 did to you earlier, all right?” Van Gisbergen’s spotter said during the final restart. “That’s a message from Chevrolet.”
The NASCAR Chevy teams aren’t the only ones under scrutiny. The No. 23 Toyota TRD Camry of Bubba Wallace slowed quite a bit in the closing laps, allowing his Toyota teammate, Bell, to pass him by throwing his race car into the wall like Chastain did a few years ago. Bell tied Byron for the final Championship 4 transfer slot, but Bell was penalized for a safety violation.
“We’ll look at everything,” said NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer. “As I said earlier, we want to go back, as we would have done anyway. We’ll get back, we’ll take all the data, video. We’ll listen to in-car audio. We’ll do all that, as we would any event.”
Comments
If NASCAR had an issue with “blocking” they would have displayed the “move over” flag during the race. Cat already out of the bag . Now if they yank the 24 from the final four, that puts the 5 in which will look like they are “fixing “.
I’ve been watching NASCAR since 1997 and I have to admit I’m about finished! They’re NOT stock cars anymore, but generic cars, that makes a mockery of the word STOCK! And all the arbitrary rules are beginning to make me sick! I’m beginning to think they should fire all current drivers and just put NASCAR officials behind the wheel! Ridiculous I know, but maybe they could keep up with all these crazy rules! That on top of them even considering going electric, well that will seal the deal for, I’ll be DONE!