NASCAR set its Cup Series Championship 4 for next week’s event at Phoenix Raceway, but it was done in controversial fashion Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. Christopher Bell initially seemed to have locked in the spot in the Championship 4 – along with Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick – with a last lap pass of Bubba Wallace. NASCAR though penalized Bell for riding the wall off of turn four on the final lap after sliding toward the wall on his pass of Wallace. William Byron was awarded the final spot in the Championship 4 despite evidence that fellow Chevrolet drivers Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain were blocking for Byron over the closing laps. So today’s poll asks, who do you think should be in the NASCAR Championship 4, William Byron or Christopher Bell? Vote below.
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Bell
1. He didn’t advance his position once he got up into the wall.
2. You could see on the in-car that he was trying to turn left.
3. There was collusion between the Chevys to block for Byron.
I Agree With Sharpie Fan.
Another stupid idiotic decision by NASCAR they should be ashamed of themselves they’re ruining the sport NASCAR executives should all retire and move to Alaska and change the series back to its rightful name, the Winston cup series and let Tom Fox run it. Lol
@Sharpie Fan There was also pretty clearly collusion between the Toyota teams for Bubba Wallace to drop off the pace on the final lap.
Bell hitting the wall that corner was weird. The 23 was the only car Bell could pass and there was no reason given Bubba’s speed for Bell to miss the corner like that. He must have panicked when he heard that he had to pass the 23 and overshot. Then he hit the gas while he was stuck to the wall. Clearly when NASCAR said “don’t ride the wall” they clearly meant that drivers need to make every attempt to turn away, including slowing down.
If NASCAR is still insistent on using this stupid tournament format I think it would be best if Martinsville isn’t the final elimination race. The low speeds and narrow track groove clearly lead to drivers and teams trying to pull way too many shenanigans. Collusion of the type we just saw would be way harder to pull off at Homestead or even Vegas. But my guess is NASCAR likes it this way- they believe the chaos creates good stories. All it does for me is make it crystal clear the playoffs are the worst way to crown a champion. No sport should be this easy to manipulate.
Marshall,
Not sure how you’re getting “pretty clear” collusion from the Toyota teams. Wallace says over the radio that he thinks he has a tire going down multiple laps before the final lap and over the closing laps his spotter is keeping him at the top of the track trying to get him to the end of the race without getting in the way. If there was collusion there they were pretty crafty about it, unlike the Chevy camp which just basically put it right out in the open among the spotters that there was a deal to not pass the Byron.
Except that if you’re trying to get off the wall you don’t bury the throttle you would lift,get off the wall then get back on the gas. He did exactly what NASCAR has ruled as being illegal. Rode the wall to the straight away while under full throttle.
Brian,
I guess it’s all in how someone looks at it. When Ross Chastain did this he went into that corner with the specific intention to drive into wall and ride the wall with the throttle mashed to use the wall to pass cars on the inside. There was clear and visual intent. Bell got up into the wall trying to go around Wallace and then throttled up through turn four and toward the checkered. And then here he is knowing he’s fighting for to keep that positon he just gained, I don’t think it’s in a racer’s DNA in the last quarter of a lap to qualify for the Championship 4 to get off the gas and slow down. And the rule is very much ambiguous about how/when it is applied. I think in the instance that he wasn’t using the wall ride to pass anyone, in this instance it should not have been called a safety violation.
And while we’re at it, can we get rid of that stupid Lee Diffy? OMG I have never had to use the mute button so much in my life! The guy never shuts up, and you’d think that he’s besties with every driver that he claims to hang out with in the garage. I have actually been able to prove to myself (thanks to the mute button) that I can do better play-by-play than he can. He talks about things that happened two weeks ago, not about what’s happening on the track, and he appears to have no knowledge about actually racing.
That’s because he’s related to the France family long lost cousin. He’s no worse than Jeff Burton who doesn’t shut up.
Yeah , but Jeff Burton was a winning driver without the damn accent. yeah I said it!! This is NASCAR not F1!!
I also think the playoff system sucks never liked it never will
@Shawn Courchesne Agreed, after seeing more including the onboard I’m fairly convinced Bubba had a problem, unless he’s a REALLY good faker.
I’m also willing to be charitable towards the 3 and the 1. Dillon asking over the radio, “Does he know what the deal is?” doesn’t necessarily mean there was a literal deal. He might just be asking if Chastain knows the points situation. I can also understand 2 lower-tier Chevy teams not wanting to mess with Hendrick and risking any technical alliance just to finish 6th instead of 7th or 8th.
As for Bell riding the wall, if the rule is ambiguous NASCAR definitely needs to make it clear, but I still think their ruling against Bell is the correct interpretation of the rule as a safety measure- don’t ride the wall intentionally or unintentionally. If they leave it open for drivers to do it unintentionally drivers will keep trying to push the envelope. NASCAR just needs to be clear about it: get off the wall even if it means stopping. I get that it’s not in a racer’s DNA, but that’s what the penalty is for, to make them understand.
Wow, surprised this much talk about the cup series. I didn’t think anyone still watched it. I missed the race and most of the playoffs so take my comments for what they are. Uninformed drivel. After reading some of the comments I looked for some highlights online and there was definitely some shenanigans going on. This is what Nascar wanted when they went to this format. Its Chaos and people are talking about the show. Seems like someone always gets screwed with this format. The youtube video creators were certainly upset. Personally, I like Bell better than Byron as i have followed him through the dirt ranks. So, I will say he got screwed and what the heck was Nascar thinking. Didn’t they put an extra driver in years ago when someone was cheated out of making the finale. Why not just have both Byron and Bell in contention for the championship next weekend. The whole thing is gimmicky anyway. Just play rock paper scissor for the championship. I did catch F1 Sunday morning and it was an entertaining race. They also have issues with team orders and collusion. Not sure any race where team alliances and multiple cars from the same team competing you are getting a fair and honest race.
Sharpie and chvelle, agreed! Diffy has a voice perfect for F1 or some form of road racing. He was almost tolerable for Indy cars, but dfinitely not Nascar. His voice just doesn’t fit well with Nascar at all!! FIrst time I heard him at a Nascar race I was immediately aggravated that he was in the booth! Terrible choice!!!