NASCAR has rendered its verdict on the penalties resulting from allegations of race manipulation, denying Trackhouse Racing’s appeal and confirming the withdrawal of Richard Childress Racing’s appeal. These developments come as NASCAR approaches its Championship 4 weekend at the iconic Phoenix Raceway.
Trackhouse Racing, founded in 2020 by Justin Marks with celebrity involvement from musician Pitbull, has emerged as an influential team in the NASCAR Cup Series, fielding cars for prominent drivers such as Ross Chastain.
The team had contested the penalties imposed after the Martinsville Speedway race, where allegations surfaced regarding coordinated moves favoring William Byron, another Chevrolet driver. However, NASCAR upheld these penalties, prompting Trackhouse to resolve:
“We respect the decision and will put the matter behind us. We’re looking forward to a great championship weekend.”
The NASCAR appeals panel confirmed:
“We feel in the best interest of racing and to protect the integrity of the sport, it was appropriate to uphold and affirm NASCAR’s decision with regard to the NASCAR rule 4.4, attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race.”
The allegations of manipulation primarily arose from on-track incidents at the Martinsville race. The event saw alleged tactics from drivers like Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain. These tactics reportedly aimed to assist Byron, raising questions over fair play. NASCAR responded with substantial penalties: $100,000 fines per team, the deduction of 50 driver and owner points, and race suspensions of team personnel, including crew chiefs and spotters. Bubba Wallace’s actions, where he reportedly allowed Christopher Bell to pass under the pretext of a tire issue, added to the controversy.
Darian Grubb will be Chastain’s crew chief this weekend and Eric Holmes will spot for the Trackhouse Racing driver.
RCR, a team entrenched in NASCAR’s history since its establishment by Richard Childress in 1969, famously managed icons like Dale Earnhardt, opted to withdraw its appeal.
2024 NASCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER STANDINGS
1.Ryan Blaney
2.Joey Logano
3.Tyler Reddick
4.William Byron
5.Christopher Bell
6.Kyle Larson
7.Chase Elliott
8.Alex Bowman
9.Denny Hamlin
10.Martin Truex Jr
11.Austin Cindric
12.Daniel Suárez
13.Brad Keselowski
14.Chase Briscoe
15.Ty Gibbs
16.Harrison Burton
17.Chris Buescher
18.Bubba Wallace
19.Ross Chastain
20.Kyle Busch
21.Carson Hocevar
22.Michael McDowell
23.Todd Gilliland
24.Noah Gragson
25.Ricky Stenhouse Jr
26.Ryan Preece
27.Josh Berry
28.Zane Smith
29.Erik Jones
30.Daniel Hemric
31.Justin Haley
32.Corey LaJoie
33.Austin Dillon
34.John H. Nemechek
35.Kaz Grala
36.Cody Ware
37.Jimmie Johnson
38.Joey Hand
39.Derek Kraus
40.David Ragan
41.Kamui Kobayashi
42.Will Brown
43.Juan Pablo Montoya
44.Cam Waters
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