Another NASCAR Playoff Scandal in Virginia

RIDGEWAY, Va. — Ryan Blaney may have passed Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott late to win the Xfinity 500 and make the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4. But his thrilling comeback will be forever overshadowed by the shenanigans of Christopher Bell, William Byron and others around them during the closing laps Sunday evening (Nov. 3) at Martinsville Speedway.

While Blaney was cruising to his second straight fall win at the paperclip-shaped oval, controversy reigned behind him in the battle for the last Championship 4 spot.

For most of the final stage, Byron had it, then Bell took it over with a wild move on the final lap.

Then, about half an hour later, all eyes trained on both drivers on pit road, that move was deemed a “safety violation” in the eyes of NASCAR officiating.

Byron was back in.

“I don’t know what to think,” Byron said. “I have a hard time feeling happy in this situation. We just raced as hard as we could, raced within the rules.”

Byron and Bell were in a tight points battle in the closing laps. Byron was in the top five but had begun to drop spots. Meanwhile, Bell was trapped a lap down, with fellow Toyota driver Bubba Wallace as the only lapped car ahead of him.

The edge went to Byron by one point as the field took the white flag. But then, Wallace significantly slowed, and Bell got around him. Bell then slid into the wall in turn 3 and stayed it in until the checkered flag.

The result was a tie between Byron and Bell, with Bell getting the advantage thanks to his second place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier in the Round of 8. Byron’s best finish in the round was fourth.

NASCAR reviewed what happened for about 27 minutes before declaring Bell committed a safety violation for his driving. The penalty for that put Bell as the last car one lap down, a loss of four spots, four points, and a Championship 4 appearance.

“I made a mistake, and I slid into the wall, and unfortunately, they ruled that as a safety violation, I guess,” Bell said.

The wall ride by Bell is what NASCAR took issue with. It’s a move that was outlawed after Ross Chastain used it to gain several spots and make the Championship 4 in 2022.

“It’s just the rule,” Byron said. “We sat in a meeting two years ago at Phoenix and talked about the ruling and whether it should be done again. We came up with that because of the safety of the crossover gate there could fling open and cut the car in half.”

Unlike Chastain, though, since Bell was already ahead of Wallace when he got into the wall, he did not gain or lose additional spots heading to the line.

“I don’t know what to say,” Bell said. “I didn’t advance my position into the wall. I lost time on the racetrack, but it’s not meant to be.”

Bell “never once thought” there would be consequences for what he felt was an aggressive move that paid off.

“I didn’t think I would get penalized at all,” Bell said. “I didn’t think a penalty was in the cards.”

No penalties were given for Wallace slowing, but NASCAR Senior VP of Competition Elton Sawyer said they would look into it. Wallace told NBC Sports afterward, “Something broke,” and radio transmissions indicated the driver thought he had a flat tire.

“He [Wallace] was sliding around like crazy,” Bell said. “I don’t know if he was on old tires or what, but he just was sliding around really bad like I was. That’s why I got into the wall.”

But the actions of Bell and Wallace weren’t the only ones that came under scrutiny. While Byron was one point up on Bell in the closing laps, he had the Chevrolets of Austin Dillon, Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar behind him. While the trio appeared to be faster than Byron, allowing other cars to jam up behind them, none seemed to attempt to pass the No. 24.

Once again, no penalty was called on any of the Chevy drivers, but Sawyer said they would look into it.

“It was clear what was going on,” Bell said. “The [No.] 24 came back to me probably a straightaway or something, but it wasn’t just meant to be.”

During the wait, Bell’s car owner, Joe Gibbs talked to his driver about that situation. He later met with NASCAR inside the hauler with team representatives but was told the decision could not be appealed.

“He [Gibbs] was frustrated about the blocking that was going on from the Chevrolets, manufacturer side, so that’s what he was talking about,” Bell explained.

Byron was adamant that the Chevy drivers behind him were trying to get around him but were racing him respectfully.

“They never moved me, but they were still racing hard,” Byron said. “They were still getting in the corner hard, and they’re not lifting down the straightaways a big margin to get back to somebody like the [No.] 23 did.”

When asked if it was unfair, Bell said, “I’m gonna keep my mouth shut.”

All of the above conspiracies combined make this perhaps the greatest NASCAR scandal since Spingate at Richmond Raceway in 2013, when Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Penske were involved in race manipulation.

Regardless of either driver pointing fingers, Byron will race for the championship at Phoenix while Bell will not. That’s pending any future penalties that may or may not come later in the week, after NASCAR has looked at it, of course.

For Byron, it marks his second straight year in the Championship 4. He was the only one of this year’s quartet to make it in on points.

“Felt like eternity [waiting for the call],” Byron said. “… I don’t know how to feel. I was really indifferent when I was sitting there thinking about it. I’ll definitely be excited to race for a championship.”

For Bell, the penalty ends his streak of making the Championship 4 after being a part of it the past two years.

“I’m not bitter,” Bell said. “It just wasn’t meant to be, and I’m proud of our successes in 2024. It’s a bummer to not go to Phoenix, because obviously that’s a track we’re really good at. Thankfully, I got a couple more years on my contract, so I’ll get another shot at it.”

Follow Michael Massie on X at @m_massie22