The final laps of Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway were packed with controversial moves by several drivers. One incident that caught the attention of fans was when Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon appeared to have blocked behind William Byron.
The second controversial incident occurred when Wallace slowed down to help Christopher Bell pass during the final corner. Davey Segal, the host of SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, posted a thread on X analyzing the in-car radio communication of several drivers following the race.
"Went back and watched/listened to in-car radio communication and onboards from: No. 16, No. 1, No. 23, No. 3, No. 20 and No. 24...NASCAR will have access to much more information than we as the general public do. Any potential penalties would (typically) come out on Tuesday or Wednesday," Segal wrote.
Fans replied to the above post and criticized the drivers, claiming they have hidden agendas. One fan wrote:
"So basically no one’s innocent. Everyone races with an agenda."
"IMO the Chevy radio worse then the Toyota radio," wrote another.
"The 3 team really is the worst when it comes to saying the quiet part out loud. It wasn’t just a Richmond thing," a fan commented.
Others recommended changes and said the officiating in NASCAR was inconsistent.
"Sounds like we need to cut out any communication other than critical information on the last 30 laps," stated one user.
"This is a sport you can gamble on. Lol. Officiating is inconsistent, and teams manipulate the outcomes for a Mickey Mouse championship. #EverythingIsGreat," wrote another.
"If Bell didn’t overdrive 3 and ride the wall through 4 none of it would even matter, both camps were trying to manipulate and bell screwed up," a fan opined.
NASCAR is reportedly looking into the actions of Ross Chastain (No. 1) from Trackhouse Racing, Austin Dillon (No. 3) from Richard Childress Racing, and Bubba Wallace (No. 23) from 23XI Racing. William Byron advanced to the Championship 4 after Christopher Bell was penalized for the "Hail Melon" move.
NASCAR heads to Phoenix for Championship race
The Cup Series Championship race for the 2024 season is scheduled for Sunday, November 10, at Phoenix Raceway where Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Joey Logano will race for the title. However, the Championship 4 drivers do not need to win the race, whoever finishes highest among them will win the title.
While Reddick and Byron are both looking for their first titles, Blaney could become the first driver to win back-to-back championships since Jimmie Johnson.
Christopher Bell, who hit the wall during the last lap and rode it to the finish line, lost his spot to Byron after he was penalized for the move. NASCAR ruled that Bell committed a "safety violation" after almost 30 minutes of discussion.