Influencer makes a clear case of NASCAR’s "difficult" situation with Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota in the aftermath of its massive change

After its rulebook overhaul, NASCAR social media personality Eric Estepp has made a clear case about a potentially difficult situation for the sanctioning body. He outlined that implementing the race manipulation penalties, which have been extended to the manufacturers, could prove to be a "difficult" moment for NASCAR.

The XFINITY 500 at the Martinsville Speedway caught the limelight negatively. While the positive outcome was Ryan Blaney triumphing in the race to punch his Championship 4 ticket, the Round of 8 elimination race was marred by race manipulation. Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, and Bubba Wallace were each fined $100,000 and the respective team owners were liable to pay $100,000 each.

However, Chevrolet walked away without any repercussions despite its involvement. It resulted in a severe backlash from the fans and the teams instigating NASCAR to take the big step. Thus, with their rulebook bulletin, the sanctioning body has extended the penalty's scope to the manufacturers.

If found guilty, the engine builders could lose valuable manufacturer points, Reduced-Cost Facility Development runs, and/or wind tunnel hours. Wind tunnel testing directly impacts the aerodynamic profile of the NextGen car, and since the structure is heavily dependent on aerodynamics, it could prove costly. The teams would also have a tighter pocket for RCFD developmental runs.

As a result, it is a big upset for the manufacturers and according to Estepp, implementing the penalties would amount to a "difficult" situation:

"NASCAR's kind of in a tough spot when it comes to enforcing these kinds of rules. Ford, Chevy, and Toyota are some of NASCAR's most important partners. If they break the rules, those are going to be difficult conversations to be had. I'm glad rules like these are now in the rulebook, hopefully, it deters future race manipulation attempts." (5:44)

It's worth mentioning that Christopher Bell also faced NASCAR's Martinsville wrath but not because of race manipulation attempts.

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Christopher Bell slammed NASCAR for Martinsville race-fixing scandal

While Ryan Blaney was ahead of the crowd, Christopher Bell fought a challenging battle for the Championship 4 race against William Byron. Bell's unofficial finish safeguarded his Phoenix spot but he got disqualified for riding the wall on the final lap, vacating the spot for Byron.

Bell argued he slid up the corner and refused to cite his maneuver as a "move." The JGR driver expressed frustration during the post-race interview, saying he was cheated out of the championship. Moreover, the #20 Toyota driver blamed the race manipulators for becoming the catalyst for his final lap mistake (via Frontstretch):

"I feel cheated, we're out of a chance to compete for a championship. It all stems from what happened 15 to 20 to go whenever the race got fixed and manipulated by Chevrolet that forced our hands to do what we did, and ultimately it forced me into a mistake on the last lap to get to the wall. I feel like I should never have been in that position, had their race been run fairly."

The disqualification stripped Joe Gibbs Racing of the ultimate opportunity to make the Championship 4 but NASCAR stood by its decision, letting Byron become HMS' lone driver in the title fight.