NASCAR penalizes teams, suspends crew members for incident at Martinsville

Crew chiefs and spotters from the Nos. 1, 3 and 23 teams have been suspended for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway. The teams were also dealt a loss of 50 driver and owner points, while drivers Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace were fined $100K. Car owners from each team were also fined $100K. 

The penalties come after both Toyota and Chevrolet tried to help Christopher Bell and William Byron advance to the Championship Four on Sunday. While Bell initially advanced, NASCAR ruled his move in Turns 3 and 4 — a partial wall ride — was a safety violation, which gave Byron enough points to advance to the championship race instead. 

NASCAR Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer said in a virtual news conference on Tuesday that there was not enough incriminating evidence from either Byron or Bell's radio communication — the key culprit in penalties being handed down to Chastain, Dillon and Wallace — to penalize either championship contender. 

Sawyer also said that suspending drivers for future instances of race manipulation is on the table. 

Crew chiefs Phil Surgen, Justin Alexander and Bootie Barker will miss the final race of the 2024 season, as will spotters Brandon McReynolds, Brandon Benesch and Freddie Kraft. 

Trackhouse Racing, Richard Childress Racing and 23XI Racing will all appeal the penalties. The appeal hearings are set to be expedited and heard this week. 

The NASCAR Cup Series championship race will go green shortly after 3 p.m. ET, with coverage on NBC, MRN, Peacock and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.