Every NASCAR season has something or the other that it is remembered by; 2024 will likely be etched as the year Joey Logano was branded an ‘undeserving’ champion by fans, amidst allegations of race manipulation on drives at the Martinsville showdown. Kevin Harvick recently weighed in on the race manipulation spectacle, suggesting that the situation could have been managed better from the inside looking out.
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The climax of the penultimate race of the season saw Christopher Bell disqualified from playoff contention, inadvertently advancing William Byron by a mere point. Amid this chaos, Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon were seen shielding Byron from any on-track altercations.
In a similar vein, Bubba Wallace appeared to deliberately slow down during the final lap, a move that allowed Bell to momentarily advance — an act that further fueled the fire of manipulation debates.
During his ‘Happy Hour’ podcast, joined by Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith, Harvick discussed NASCAR’s decision to resolve and tighten policies against race manipulation in the upcoming seasons.
He articulated, “I think that they just have to be clear with the manufacturers of how they expect things to go. The manufacturers put a ton of pressure on the teams and drivers to do things that are as we talk about outside of your comfort zone.”
He also shared some candid advice on how teams might better manage such scenarios: “I just can’t believe that the teams are so out of touch with the world that they want to talk about everything on the radio. If you really want to fix it just tell your teams to use their freaking head and not talk about it on the radio. That would pretty much fix all the problems.”
“You can have a plan but if you’re gonna have people that aren’t smart enough to talk about it on the radio you need to find new people,” Harvick joked.
The incidents in question centered around radio communications that exposed deliberate coordination among the teams. A Frontstretch journalist noted during the closing laps at Martinsville that the #3 and #1 teams’ actions were not random but planned.
He pointed out specific radio chatter aired by NBC, highlighting, “Does the 1 crew chief know the deal?” – radio chatter from the 3 teams that NBC just played.”
Meanwhile, Wallace’s radio message was also telling. He was heard exclaiming, “God forbid if we don’t help a f**king JGR car.” This led his crew chief, Bootie Barker, to instruct Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, to keep Wallace posted on Bell’s position, signaling him to strategically position his #23 Toyota behind Bell’s car.
Brad Keselowski weighed in on the controversy surrounding race manipulation, pointing fingers at the manufacturers
In the wake of penalties imposed on Dillon, Wallace, and Chastain — which included monetary fines and the suspension of their crew chiefs and spotters — Keselowski redirected the blame at manufacturers during a press conference in Phoenix.
He argued that NASCAR’s regulations, which limit practice times and restrict teams from thoroughly analyzing their cars, have inadvertently increased the influence of car manufacturers (OEMs) over the sport.
“The OEMs have never had more leverage than they have today in this board,” Keselowski stated, suggesting that these entities exploit their position to exert control over the teams.
The RFK Racing owner further highlighted that the teams are often at the mercy of the OEMs due to their reliance on the data and resources that only these manufacturers can provide. As a result, drivers find themselves with little choice but to adhere to the strategic directions given by their car manufacturers, further jeopardizing the integrity of the races.
