“Why Do We Even Have the Rules?”: Chase Briscoe’s Crew Chief Lashes Out At NASCAR for Clash Mess

The Clash finally got underway at the Bowman Gray Stadium after a long delay on Wednesday, and RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece won the event. But the proceedings weren’t without the usual drama that constitutes NASCAR racing. This time, it was James Small, the crew chief of Chase Briscoe, who found himself fuming.

With 35 laps remaining in the race, NASCAR allowed all teams to go in and refuel their cars. This decision was taken after multiple cars ran out of fuel mid-race. But Small was absolutely infuriated and let his thoughts be known on the team radio.

“This is complete bullsh**,” Small said. “Like, you were meant to start the race full. These motherf***rs didn’t start the race full. So it’s their own problem they’re running out of fuel.” His anger and confusion did not reduce even after the race ended, as he called out the teams for not starting the event with enough fuel.

Small also said to Matt Weaver of Motorsport, “I just don’t understand that. Everybody knows the rules. Everybody, if you started the race full, you have more than enough to get to the end. I just, whatever.” 

Fuel was never expected to be an issue during the race. But rain arrived during the race and brought about a flurry of cautions that added up to present unpredictable challenges. At the end of the night, Small did not feel like NASCAR did a good job at officiating the race.

He added, “It’s like, why do we even have the rules? Even after the LCQ, they gave a car another set of tires that they said they were never gonna give. It’s just constantly dropping and changing.”

Briscoe led 35 laps in the race and finished fourth. He told the press, “I didn’t know all the circumstances that were going on, but I know James was not thrilled with the situation. I don’t know. But yeah, after that, it kind of killed me.” He admitted that he had fun whilst he was leading the race and even when he was racing as the runner-up.

But when he fell further down, the lane was too narrow to race with any space, and it ended up being a tough affair. Small and Briscoe combined in 2025 to reach the Championship 4 and have a noteworthy maiden season together. Hopefully, their good work will continue in 2026.