Blatant race manipulation from the Chevrolet team and the Toyota faction disgraced the Martinsville eliminator. As championship contestant William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell were battling for the last spot, the #24 only led by a single point in the final stages of the race. When it became crucial that Byron couldn’t lose even a single position, his Chevy colleagues Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon stepped up, creating a blockade behind them.

At the same time, Christopher Bell desperately needed a position gain to draw the points. In case of a draw, the driver with a better finish in round three races progresses, and Bell had a P2 in Las Vegas to give him that final spot. So, on the final stretch, Bubba Wallace, aiding his Toyota teammate, suddenly slowed down to let the #20 car pass and draw the scores. While NASCAR has issued heavy monitor penalties to the drivers and the teams, Bubba Wallace has stayed firm on not having any involvement in race manipulation.

Bubba Wallace denies aiding Christopher Bell

“Half straightaway back right. I went loose or something broke and nursing it. And then he tried to slide me (Christopher Bell) I’m like brother…just trying to buy their time and not crash and bring out a caution and jumble up the whole field,” This was Wallace’s justification for suddenly slowing down. However, it was rendered useless as Bell, after passing Wallace, rammed into the wall and rode it to the finish line like Ross Chastain’s ‘Hail Melon’ move from the 2022 Martinsville race. And NASCAR has banned it for safety concerns, so Bell was eliminated and Byron made it to the final 4.

Regardless, the #23 faction remained adamant about not being a part of the Toyota vs Chevy battle and manipulating the results. However, when NASCAR checked Wallace’s case for what they claimed happened, proof to support their claim wasn’t found and hence NASCAR did not acquit them but rather slammed penalties to all involved. The #23, #1, and #3 drivers were fined $100,000 along with docking 50 points from their season. Their teams were also fined $100,000, along with the suspension of the crew chiefs, spotters, and race executives. And as NASCAR shifts focus on the 2024 championship race at Phoenix, Bubba Wallace has yet again denied the accusations from the Martinsville incident.

Recently Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass asked Bubba Wallace if he did anything worthy of the penalties, to this he was quick to give a one-word response, “No.” Pockrass also questioned the #23 driver if he was aware of his Toyota teammate’s positions at Martinsville. Before the question was even completed, Wallace gave another “No” to Pockrass.

“We were just running our own race, started to bleed there really hard. I’m trying to hold off the 5 (Kyle Larson) from getting to the next lap car and just burnt my sh– up. So part of racing and the frustrating part is that we show up there in spring and we have a car that’s capable of winning and we show back up in the fall, we are nobody. So it’s been a really frustrating week,” Wallace said, further elaborating.

The #23XI team had earlier decided to appeal the penalties but, later on, decided not to do it and focus on the #45 championship preparations. After all, the young 23XI Racing team is fighting for their maiden Cup Series championship.

23XI ignored the penalty as they focused on the championship

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The Michael Jordan-owned team, in their statement, said, “We disagree with the penalty ruling and strongly believe we did not break any rules at Martinsville. It is our conclusion that it is in our best interests, and those of our team members, partners, and fans, to fully devote our personnel and resources this week toward the championship and not an appeal.” While this initially upset Wallace, as he wasn’t cleared of the charges, he later understood there was bigger fish to fry.

Wallace, on this note, said, “At the same time, our team has Tyler and 45 group have worked their ass off to put themselves in a spot to go for the championship. And for us to make the decision not to appeal, I didn’t agree with that. but I understood once they kind of broke it down and we have to have all of our eggs in the same basket and time invested in the right things at the right time. And the right time is focusing on the championship for 45. And bring home 23XI their first championship.”

The 23XI racing is only in its fourth Cup Season and has already made big strides. The team has already won 8 times and also bagged the regular season championship this season. And now, while giants like Joe Gibbs Racing don’t have a single car in the championship battle, Tyler Reddick is going head to head with other top dogs, Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports, teams that have been there in the sport for decades.

Wallace understands how big of a deal winning a championship against them is and has put his penalty aside to help the #45. “As soon as that was kind of communicated. It was easy to kind of let you guard down and appreciate that fact and support the team’s decision because at the end of the day that’s the most important thing. We’ll continue to go on and race. Be competitive and do everything we can.”

Well, in a matter of time, we will have the 2024 champion! Do you think Reddick has a strong chance? Who do you think is going to win? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.