“Whine all you want to”: Kyle Petty doubles down against fans’ complaints amid controversial Martinsville finish

Former NASCAR driver and current analyst Kyle Petty appeared in the latest episode of the Petty Race Recap. As the show went on, the NASCAR vet shared his take on the controversial finish at Martinsville last Sunday.

At one point in the 500-lap showdown, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace seemed to slow down and give his fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell a spot. On the other hand, Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain (both Chevrolet drivers) drove in the form of a blockade behind Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron but never attempted to pass him.

On the other hand, Christopher Bell needed anything better or equal to a P13 finish to make the final four, given that no driver inside the bubble was to win the race. Toward the end of the race, Byron stood sixth on points while Bell was 19th. However, Bell tied with Byron when he passed Wallace to grab the 18th spot. This tied him with Byron and thus opened the possibility of a tiebreaker.

Bell would have won the tiebreaker owing to his P2 finish at Las Vegas weeks ago (best finish among the two in the Round of 8). However, Bell was penalized for riding the wall, a move that was banned in 2022. The penalty forced the JGR speedster to settle for a disappointing 22nd-place finish. Several fans viewed it as blatant race manipulation.

Petty, however, felt otherwise. He said,

“You can whine and moan all you want to but everybody knew rolling into Daytona what the point system was. Everybody knew what the playoffs were. Everybody knew what the rules were. So you can whine all year long, whine all you want to, call whoever you want to. That's the rule we play under.”

“You just race to whatever the point system is and that's how you win races. or that's how you win championships. There are guys that do that and guys that don't and I'm sorry (to say it),” he added.

Needless to say, William Byron did it. He will race his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy next week at Phoenix Raceway, vying for his career’s first-ever Cup Series Championship title.

Kyle Petty drops two reasons why he chose not to argue against fans’ complaints

Kyle Petty justified NASCAR’s decision by taking to his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account. He said,

“I'm not arguing tonight because I don't feel like dealing with some of you honestly. 1st there is no rule against blocking and manufacturers have been working together for years! (See Daytona and Talladega) 2nd wall ride is against the rules, that's a fact. Conversation over..."

The wall ride rule was implemented at Martinsville two years ago when Chastain brushed against the outside wall to pack more speed in his car while the race neared its end. Thanks to the controversial yet unique move, the Trackhouse Racing driver ultimately punched his first ticket into Championship 4 that year.

However, Bell explained that what he did wasn’t intentional. In a post-race interview, he said (via Newsweek),

“I understand that the rule is made to prevent people from riding the wall. But my move was completely different than what Ross' was. I got loose getting into the corner and slid right into the fence.”

Will NASCAR revisit its decision? If so, how will that affect Bell and Byron? As a race fan, one can only speculate for now.