Race manipulation is not a brand new idea in NASCAR or racing typically. Inventory automobile racing had SpinGate with Clint Bowyer in 2013, Components 1 had CrashGate with Nelson Piquet Jr. in 2008, and IndyCar had its latest P2P scandal involving Group Penske. However as Penske’s personal Joey Logano identified throughout Championship 4 Media Day, the best way a sanctioning physique reacts to such moments will probably be important for protecting the game intact.
“Nicely, it is all the pieces, proper?” mentioned Logano when requested concerning the sustaining the game’s integrity. “I imply, you see loads of documentaries on how sports activities and folks have type of accomplished issues within the mistaken method, the way it can destroy a sport. NASCAR is backed up in opposition to the wall to the place they needed to do one thing, proper? They should do one thing to manage us. It is all people, proper?
“Regardless of the rule is, whether or not it is this 100% rule or it is placing the automobiles collectively, if the principles aren’t enforced, the game will collapse. It is essential to maintain that.”
The 100% rule was carried out following Michael Waltrip Racing’s try and affect the 2013 playoff race, a really gray-area rule that basically says all opponents should race at 100% of their capability with the purpose of attaining their very best ending place in an occasion.
The rising affect of producers
However whereas race manipulation has been a scorching subject this week, so has the function of the producers and the way tightly aligned groups representing the identical OEM now are. Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon weren’t Hendrick Motorsports drivers and neither crew even runs Hendrick engines. Regardless of that, they put their very own race apart to safeguard the No. 24 of William Byron.
Earlier this week, Denny Hamlin mentioned that the producers have “method an excessive amount of say within the outcomes of those races,” however Logano regarded extra on the present automobile and its function in all of this.
Joey Logano, Group Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang, Harrison Burton, Wooden Brothers Racing, MotorcraftQuick Lane Ford Mustang
Photograph by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
“Yeah, I imply, in some methods it is grown and in some methods not,” defined Logano when requested about producer affect. “However I feel the Subsequent Gen automobile itself has type of made the producer matter much more as a result of there’s solely sure issues that we are able to management, proper? The automobile is the automobile. The physique turns into essential. That is one factor that the OEM can management. The engine. There’s your different one, proper? These are two huge dashing ops.
“The groups, they’ve the flexibility to tune and make a automobile higher than others. There’s instances the place we have seen it, proper, what occurred earlier this 12 months, the Fords have been off, all of them. You inform me all of the groups have been off? No. The OEM issues. We have been capable of flip that round all collectively, which is nice.”
Are the penalties sufficient?
The penalties issued by NASCAR this week didn’t issue within the automobile makes, specializing in the three groups accused of race manipulation. Nonetheless, mentioned penalties have been substantial, totaling $600,00 in fines, 9 suspensions, and the lack of 50 driver/proprietor factors between every group. However was it sufficient?
“I do not know,” admitted Logano. “I do know that NASCAR needed to do one thing simply because should you let that go, it should simply hold turning into extra excessive each time. They put their foot down. Is it sufficient? Nicely, we’ll see this week. In the event that they do it once more, then you already know the penalty wasn’t large enough.”
Trackhouse tried to enchantment the penalties this week, however misplaced. Each RCR and 23XI withdrew their very own appeals. Now onto Phoenix the place every producer has no less than one automobile within the Championship 4 struggle. With all 4 title combatants coming into the finale on equal floor, there’ll absolutely be temptation to meddle once more if the chance arises. For the sake of the game and for the explanations already said by Logano, hopefully they don’t.
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