NASCAR levies $600,000 in fines and suspends 9 team members for race manipulation ahead of finale
NASCAR has issued $600,000 in fines and suspended nine team members from three different teams for alleged race manipulation at Martinsville Speedway
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Drama continued to encompass NASCAR ahead of its championship-deciding season finale as the sanctioning body issued $600,000 in fines and suspended nine team members from three different teams on Tuesday for alleged race manipulation at Martinsville Speedway.
The penalties came down after a contentious final battle Sunday at the Virginia track in which Christopher Bell initially qualified for the championship final four, but his move to hit the wall and use it for momentum violated a banned safety rule and was disallowed.
That gave the final spot in this week's winner-take-all finale at Phoenix Raceway to William Byron.
But, NASCAR was clear in disqualifying Bell that it would take a hard look at the actions other drivers played in the sequence of events as Bell and Byron battled for the final spot in the championship four.
