“Point shaving at its best”: NASCAR Hall of Famer berates manufacturers for 'integrity' tossing controversy

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarett blasted the manufacturers for their involvement in the Martinsville controversy. The 1999 Winston Cup Series champion who currently is a NASCAR announcer for NBC didn't mince words about the grave financial loss connected with the race manipulation.

The XFINITY 500 in Martinsville became the center of attraction shortly after Ryan Blaney punched his Championship 4 ticket. Christopher Bell was penalized for riding the wall on the final lap and William Byron got reinstated in the playoffs in the aftermath.

Chevrolet drivers Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon came under scanner for roadblocking the 0.526-mile oval, not letting rivals overtake Byron's #24 Chevy. Bubba Wallace of Toyota got penalized for slowing down in the closing laps to help Bell propel into the Championship race.

Dale Jarrett outlined another aspect of the Martinsville fallout except for the playoff standings. The three-time Daytona 500 winner said that as people gamble intensely on NASCAR, an immense amount of money is always at stake. Due to Chevrolet and Toyota's illegal acts, several people who called the shots with their money on the line suffered big time.

Jarrett wasn't happy with the sport's 'integrity' going for a toss and slammed the manufacturers for the race-fixing scandal. He said (via Chris Werne on X).

"You heard Christopher Bell say, 'Race got fixed.' We have another component in NASCAR as in every other sport now and it's called gambling. A lot of people put a lot of money out there, and this is point shaving at its best. You have to protect the integrity of this sport," Jarrett said.

NASCAR levied a $100,000 fine and 50 driver points penalty and reprimanded the team owners with a $100,000 slap and 50 owner points.

"I could very clearly see the race manipulation": Christopher Bell makes his feelings known about NASCAR's Martinsville controversy

Following the Martinsville ruling, Joe Gibbs Racing's Bell remained tight-lipped about his penalty and didn't express much of his thoughts about the ordeal. However, during the media availability before the Phoneix, race, Bell was vocal about 'cheating' during the 35th Cup Series race weekend and didn't hold back from slamming them.

Firstly, the #20 driver defended his wall-ride move. He said what he did on the final lap wasn't a 'move' per se. He furthered he didn't break any rule and that the 'Hail-Melon' -like maneuver didn't give any advantage. He added that Chevrolet's race manipulation antics 'forced' him to make the Martinsville mistake.

Bell elaborated (via Frontstretch).

"I could very clearly see the race manipulation, race fixing that was going on...It's tough I mean, this has been one of the hardest things that I've had to go through as a racecar driver. I believe cheated is the right word and we go through sessions at the beginning of the year to make sure that we don't do this and that unfortunately is what happened and I was on the losing side of it," Bell said (5:20).

Since there's no rule to reprimand the manufacturers, NASCAR's COO Steve O'Donnell ensured coming up with a solution next season.