“Our eyes and ears are open”: NASCAR puts teams on notice after reviewing Charlotte ROVAL drama for race manipulation 

NASCAR recently reviewed the playoff races held at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course last week. Upon thorough investigation of the clips and radio messages of the drivers and crew spotters, the governing body did not issue any penalties. However, the stock car racing association gave a formal warning to the teams.

During NASCAR's podcast, officials spent most of the time reviewing every minute detail of the Charlotte ROVAL race. Following that, they found two spotters in the Xfinity Series race discussing points over the radio with the drivers and gave them a warning ahead of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway race. In a recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Bubba Wallace's spotter, Freddie Kraft, also revealed how the spotters are not allowed to mention points on the radio.

Similarly, the governing body reviewed the late-race radio communications of the Cup Series playoff race. They found out that during the conversation, both Ross Chastain and Joey Logano discussed their points over the radio. Additionally, the sanctioning body also reviewed how other drivers were driving around them. Reflecting on the same, NASCAR managing director Mike Forde stated (via Racer.com):

“We are planning on making teams aware that our eyes and ears are open to any shenanigans... We did review it, and the beauty of social media in this officiating era is we have now millions, or at least thousands, of officials sitting at home reviewing HBO Max cameras and listening to radio transmissions." “So, we did review it, and nothing rose to the level of a penalty. I think we have some meetings with teams at a certain point this week/weekend… if they need a reminder, ‘Let’s not put ourselves in jeopardy here.’ Fans should be coming to the racetrack and expecting a straight-up race where each position is fought for as hard as possible, especially at the end of the race. If we do see or hear something we don’t like, we are going to step in, which we have done several times now,” he concluded.

NASCAR has been extra cautious since the potential race manipulation at the 2024 Martinsville fall race. Following that, the governing body penalized three teams for helping manufacturers' teammates. The first race of the Round of Eight in both the Xfinity and Cup Series is scheduled for October 11-12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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"Are we going to start manipulating races?": Joey Logano's crew chief's verdict on the NASCAR Cup Series at ROVAL

During a post-race interview with Matt Weaver, NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano's crew chief called out Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin for his mindset of holding Logano back and vandalizing his chances of advancing to the next round. In the 109-lap race, Logano and Ross Chastain tried their best to secure their spot in the Round of Eight playoff round.

During the race, Wolfe called the Team Penske driver to box for a fresh set of tires while Chastain was still out on the track. Following this, during the final lap, the Trackhouse Racing driver pulled a risky maneuver and failed.

The #1 Chevy driver collected Denny Hamlin in the aftermath, giving the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion the chance to lock in his spot. Reflecting on that, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver claimed he was unaware of the stakes at that time, and later, during a post-race interview, he stated:

“I would not have passed him [Ross Chastin]."

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion's crew chief was not happy with Hamlin's statement and referenced alleged race manipulation allegations against him. He stated:

"I think when you look at some of those situations, though--talking about not passing somebody--at what point, when all those guys behind them were catching them over a second faster per lap, are we going to start manipulating races?"

Joey Logano finished among the top 20 drivers on the grid and advanced to the Round of Eight. On the other hand, Ross Chastain finished in P21, leading to his elimination from the championship contention.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua