NASCAR slammed Chevrolet drivers Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain with penalties after the final Round of 8 race in Martinsville for manipulating the race outcome. Drivers teaming together based on their OEMs, in other words, car manufacturers to affect the natural flow of a race is as severe an infraction as any in the governance’s eyes.
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The promotion’s punishment was hard and is bound to prevent similar occurrences, but can drivers actually disobey the instructions of their OEMs? RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski doesn’t believe so. He explained to the press in Phoenix that car manufacturers in NASCAR today have significant leverage over teams and drivers.
They’ve come to acquire this through NASCAR’s actions such as reducing practice time and preventing teams from studying their cars to a useful extent. It is the OEMs that are doing this in their place.
The data that the manufacturers collect are crucial for the teams and they have a price to pay to get it. Keselowski noted, “The OEMs have never had more leverage than they have today in this board. When they have leverage, they’re going to wield it as probably any of us would. I think the teams feel those obligations.”
“They, you know, feel sometimes even threats from some manufacturers and it’s made its way to where you guys see it.” The statesman expressed that this situation was only going to grow more troublesome if left unchecked.
A team’s success in this age depends directly on the strength of its relationship with its manufacturer. This necessitated their instructions being followed in a race scenario, as was the case with Chastain and Dillon to help out fellow Chevy driver William Byron’s playoffs chances. Maybe the promotion ought to tip the scales to a fairer level.
Can a driver refuse to comply with his OEM?
Keselowski underlined in his interview that a driver does not have the leverage to refuse to comply with the instructions of his manufacturer. Even the most skilled driver in the sport will not be able to run well in a car with a slow setup as a result of non-cooperation from the OEMs holding the hammer in this front.
Hearing his words, it is rather surprising that Chevrolet themselves weren’t under the spotlight after last weekend’s infractions. On the other end of things, Keselowski will start the final race of the season in Phoenix from 27th place. His teammate Chris Buescher will start from P24.
Matt McCall, his crew chief, will serve his final stint with him on Sunday. The former champion is set to have a new chief helming the #6 team beginning in 2025. McCall held the position from 2022.
