Bob Pockrass shares his take on Denny Hamlin owned-23XI Racing not appealing NASCAR’s Martinsville penalty

Renowned journalist Bob Pockrass made his thoughts known on 23XI Racing’s decision to not appeal NASCAR’s decision to penalize Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 team. The team is vying for their first Cup Series Championship with Tyler Reddick. Therefore, nothing is more important now, the team said in a recent statement.

Following the controversial ending of last week’s playoff race at Martinsville, NASCAR charged Wallace with a $100,000 fine and docked 50 driver points. This dropped Wallace from 17th to 18th in the Cup Series point standings. Furthermore, his crew chief Bootie Barker, and spotter, Freddie Kraft, were suspended for the upcoming Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway.

On the other hand, 23XI Racing is currently amid a legal battle with NASCAR that followed the team’s decision to not sign the newest charter agreement. Is that also why 23XI chose not to appeal? A fan wondered.

Pockrass, however, felt differently. He said (via X),

“I’d be skeptical on that. The appeal would have to be expedited this week and considering others received the same penalty, couldn’t say they are being targeted. The appeal would have been Thursday or Friday and so they don’t want people spending time on that.”

Meanwhile, all eyes are on Reddick, who made the Championship 4 for the first time in his career after winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 27. Fans can watch him race against former Cup Series champions, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron on November 10th. The 312-lap event will air live on NBC with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick reacts to ongoing antitrust lawsuit

Tyler Reddick with teammate Bubba Wallace at Martinsville Speedway. - Source: Imagn

23XI Racing filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR in September because they felt denied an opportunity to bargain for the soon-to-be-effective charter agreement. The preliminary injunction was issued on November 5th. A ruling is expected by this weekend, days ahead of the coveted championship race.

Pockrass confirmed the news through his post (on X) and said,

“No ruling on the injunction hearing today. Possibly by Friday."

Tyler Reddick, however, seemed to be unbothered by all that noise. In an interview with Pockrass, the Toyota pilot said,

“It doesn't [impact me]. I wish I could explain to you why that's the case, but for me, I'm just focusing on what I can control — that's my race car, that's my team, that's our preparation and mindset going into the weekend. The rest is off to the side and worry about it later."

Reddick currently stands third on points. In 35 starts this year, the California native swept stages on six occasions and gathered three wins, whilst delivering 12 top-5s and 20 top-10s. If he wins the Championship this year, it would be the first for his team.