NASCAR sends clear message to OEMs not to 'challenge integrity' following Martinsville incident involving Chevy, Toyota drivers

NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell had a message for the manufacturers ahead of the final race at Phoenix. O'Donnell and NASCAR sat with the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) recently where he shared a stern piece of information with them.

The recently concluded race at Martinsville saw Ryan Blaney take the win ahead of Hendrick Motorsports duo Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. With this, he secured his place in the Championship 4 alongside Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, and William Byron.

However, the final lap of the race saw Austin Dillon, Ross Chastain, and Bubba Wallace allegedly influence the race outcome with a move on Byron. Citing this, NASCAR penalized the drivers and teams and warned the OEMs ahead of the final race at Phoenix this weekend.

"So let's go back to what just happened in Martinsville, I would argue before we saw one of the best races again I've seen in the playoffs, and it's unbelievable that we were sitting here, talking about this topic right, and I'll probably get into trouble for saying this and I'll say it anyway, I've been around a long time but you know Bill France used to say being pissed off is not a plan," O'Donnell told the media. (As per a YouTube video uploaded by Kenny Wallace)

"What I saw in Martinsville pissed me off, and it pissed everyone off at NASCAR because we all know better, and we know what happened. So we do have rules in the rulebook where we can address it, and we did. We had a call with our OEMs where we were very clear in what our intentions are going forward." (0:25-1:07)

Following the race, NASCAR penalized Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing, Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing, and Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing. Each driver was fined $100,000, and both their driver and owner points were deducted by 50 points.

Besides this, the governing body also suspended spotters, crew chiefs, and key team officials of these teams from participating in the final race at Phoenix. However, they did not suspend the drivers.

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NASCAR COO explained why they did not suspend drivers

Ryan Blaney (12) wins the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway (Image via Imagn)

Steve O’Donnell, in the NASCAR press conference also revealed why NASCAR did not suspend the drivers. The NASCAR Chief Operating Officer stated that the governing body left the drivers with a warning. Here's what he said:

"The reason we chose not to penalize the drivers… we made a decision that the drivers are holding the wheel. That the drivers were told essentially what to do. We gave them the benefit of the doubt. Saturday’s message from [senior vice president of competition] Elton [Sawyer] to the drivers will be that that’s your warning." (1:23-1:42)

Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney are all set to compete for the ultimate glory this Sunday at the Phoenix Raceway.