The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Four is set for Phoenix. Though it was quite a bumpy and shocking road to reach this year’s championship four. In what was the toughest Round of 8 field in the history of the NASCAR Playoffs, things got very dramatic late in the race. Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin were all in a must-win situation. While William Byron and Christopher Bell were in the heat of a points battle.
Blaney the defending Cup Champion, showed some grit and speed with less than 15 laps to go and pass Elliott for the race lead. That move ended up being enough to get Blaney his second-straight trip to the Championship Four. That left one final spot for either Byron or Bell to fight for. As it turns out a single point ended up deciding both fates. Well actually NASCAR made the choice, because of an interesting set of circumstances. Their ruling on Sunday night has certainly had plenty of implications moving forward.
Fallout From Championship Four Deciding Race at Martinsville
Controversial Late Race Move, Forces NASCAR’s Hand
Christopher Bell may have been a lap down in the closing laps of the Xfinity 500, but he was still in a great position to advance to the Championship Four over William Byron. Byron was on wearing tires during the final ten laps, and couldn’t afford to lose another spot from the sixth-place spot he was running in. It was during those closing laps, that Bell had a little help from a fellow Toyota driver Bubba Wallace, who was also a lap down. He also happened to let Bell slip by on the final lap. However, as Bell was getting past Wallace, to gain the tying point, he put his car against the outside wall. His move wasn’t as wild as Ross Chastain’s now-famous “Hail Melon” but he ran the wall to the finish line.
That’s where the controversy started, as Byron and Bell were left waiting to hear from NASCAR, which of the two would reach the Championship Four. After what felt like hours, which was more like 20 minutes, and a lot of discussions from the tower, NASCAR viewed what Bell did as a safety violation, and bumped him from his finishing position. That also allowed Byron’s No. 24 to advance to the Championship Four.
That in itself was plenty of controversy. Bell and Byron certainly didn’t deserve to be put in this situation.
Turns Out NASCAR didn’t like Radio Communications Either.
All the mess that happened on Sunday evening, had plenty more fallout to come. Lost in the Bell-Byron controversy, was the fact that team manufacturers were also working together to try and help their fellow car makers in the fight. In Bell’s case, Bubba Wallace’s team appeared to communicate that they were going to do whatever they could to help him. As for Byron, though he didn’t do anything wrong the No. 1 of Ross Chastain and No.3 of Austin Dillon fought side-by-side for the final 10 laps and didn’t even try to pass the 24-car. Both being Chevy’s many began to speculate what was happening.
A lot of bickering about wrongdoing by teams started to take traction. As it turns out NASCAR itself didn’t like the way the radio communications went down in the closing laps. Following their review of the communications. According to Nick DeGroot of motorsport.com, some heavy fines and suspensions have been handed down.
The Crew chiefs, spotters, and team executives for Chastain, Dillon, and Wallace are all suspended for the season finale at Phoenix. NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte also sat down to address the ruling on NASCAR.com’s YouTube page.
A Fix For Now, but Not Forever
It’s nice that NASCAR was able to decide on what happened on Sunday with Bell and Byron. It’s better than dragging it out. However, I do think it’s only a temporary fix. This doesn’t change my mind about how obsolete this whole playoff system has gotten. This controversy further muddies the point. And now teams won’t be able to work together, is the message that seems to be being sent. This sport doesn’t have enough problems. I honestly love how all of this is blowing up in the sport’s face.
It sucks for Wallace, Dillon, and Chastain, they were just driving in my opinion, but their radio communications didn’t seem to help the cause. All three teams have made it clear they are going to appeal, but with it being the final race of the season, is it worth it at this point? Many would probably say that NASCAR has got this situation under control, but I think that’s far from the truth. It’s just their simple fix.
