The Martinsville penalty saga is seemingly behind the NASCAR fraternity at this juncture. A motorsport appeals panel has hammered the final nail in the coffin for Trackhouse Racing’s appeal against Ross Chastain’s attempt to manipulate the outcome of last Sunday’s race. Along with the #1 Chevrolet driver, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace were also penalized.
Advertisement
However, both RCR and 23XI decided to withdraw their appeals against their penalties ahead of this weekend’s championship race, with Chastain and his team the sole contenders against the penalties.
Citing reasons along the lines of “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,” as reported by Bob Pockrass, the penalties against Chastain have been upheld, including the other two involved drivers as well.
Justin Marks’ racing outfit seemed to agree with the decision and decided to not further appeal the outcome and stated, “We respect the decision and will put the matter behind us. We’re looking forward to a great championship weekend.”
On the other hand, fans of the sport did not seem to get behind the decision citing various reasons. One fan opined how William Byron, the driver who benefited from Chastain and Dillon’s actions last weekend is still competing for the 2024 title and wrote, “Chevy manipulates the race and the one guy to benefit is still racing for a championship. This is still bullshit.”
Chevy manipulates the race and the one guy to benefit is still racing for a championship. This is still bullshit
— Kyle (@Gro2811) November 7, 2024
Yet another follower questioned the same logic and said, “So…they did wrong but the 24 keeps his spot…makes so much sense lol.”
Meanwhile, a few fans gave their verdict on how the governing body should have handled the matter in the first place, along with actions that it needs to take now, “The drivers should be suspended but nascar is beyond soft”, “Will Rick Hendrick be arrested?”
The governing body also explained why the penalties have been handled the way they have been in this matter, citing reasons for going after teams and manufacturers rather than the drivers themselves.
Despite the outcry amongst the fans, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron is set to challenge for the 2024 Cup Series title this Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. The race will go live on Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 3:00 pm ET.
