Richard Childress Racing has had a season to forget. Both their drivers have failed to make the playoffs, despite Austin Dillon winning the 2024 Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. After the penultimate Cup Series race at Martinsville, it seems like the team has found itself in hot water once again. The No. 3 Chevy team and its crew were found guilty of ‘race manipulation’ at the Xfinity 500, resulting in a $100,000 fine and 50 docked points along with three suspensions.

But wait, there’s more! Kyle Busch’s No. 8 entry was also penalized for a ‘safety violation’, which sums up the team’s season so far. While Richard Childress Racing will appeal NASCAR’s verdict, Dale Earnhardt Jr isn’t optimistic about their chances, given the evidence against them.

Dale Jr. is apprehensive about Richard Childress Racing’s appeal

Richard Childress Racing will be feeling hard done by. Competing under the Chevrolet umbrella, the team has struggled to make its mark in the Cup Series this year and has been racing for nothing but pride during the postseason. With the stakes high at Martinsville Speedway, Austin Dillon and his crew appeared to be lending their assistance to fellow Chevy driver William Byron by blocking incoming traffic to ensure the HMS driver made it to Championship 4. Even though they succeeded, it came at a high cost as the team incurred NASCAR’s wrath in the post-race investigation.

Richard Childress Racing wasn’t the only team to bear the repercussions, as Trackhouse was also at the receiving end of NASCAR’s punishment. When asked how the two teams will be feeling, Dale Jr said on his podcast, “It’s been a difficult year for both of those organizations. More so for RCR and that’s why I think, you know, they obviously feel like they’ve got an argument to win the appeal and they’ve got a reason enough to believe that they didn’t do anything wrong. You know, it’ll be interesting what kind of argument they can put together to try to win the appeal. But I don’t feel like it’s gonna be successful.”

Junior’s apprehension at the appeal being unsuccessful is justified. As per the radio conversation during the race, a member of Austin Dillon’s No. 3 crew openly asked Justin Alexander if Ross Chastain knew about the “deal”. In response, spotter Brandon Benesch said, “I’m trying to tell him. Justin can you tell the crew chief?” The radio communication became even more incriminating with 12 laps to go, with the spotter asking once again, “Does the 1 crew chief know the deal?” to which Alexander replied, “Yeah he should”, even though he sounded unsure.

Race manipulation is considered a significant breach of NASCAR’s rules, specifically, the 100% rule, which states that each driver should drive to their 100% every race without trying to artificially alter the standings or making someone else do the same. So, unsurprisingly, the sanctioning body has come down hard on Richard Childress Racing. As things stand, team executive Keith Rodden, crew chief Justin Alexander, and spotter Brandon Benesch are suspended from the final race of the season in Phoenix. Moreover, Austin Dillon and the team have been fined $100,000 each, while 50 points have been deducted from the owner’s points. Even though the team’s hierarchy will appeal the decision, the evidence against them means there is a high likelihood of it being unsuccessful.

Kyle Busch’s team was found guilty of a safety violation

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To say that Kyle Busch has had a disappointing season would be an understatement. Rowdy has secured at least one win in the last 19 consecutive seasons in his career, but that streak could be broken this year. With just one Cup Series fixture remaining at Phoenix Raceway, it’s now or never for the Richard Childress Racing driver, who has come agonizingly close plenty of times in the past. However, the circumstances are not looking good for the 39-year-old, as his team incurred a safety violation penalty at Martinsville Speedway.

The No. 8 Chevy team will be without two key personnel for the next two races, namely Josh Sobecki, who operates the jack, and front tire changer Michael Russell. Justifying the decision, NASCAR said that the penalty was because of the “loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle during the event.” Busch lost a right front wheel late in the 2024 Xfinity 500, resulting in a ‘safety level’ violation.

Explaining the sanctioning body’s reasoning in issuing the penalties, NASCAR’s vice president of sport, Elton Sawyer, said, “We want to make sure that these penalties are delivered in a way – and they will be – that we’re not going to tolerate this. In this case, we felt like we wanted to focus more on the team leadership, something that we haven’t done in the past.” While Richard Childress Racing has appealed NASCAR’s verdict well before the noon deadline of 6th November, it remains to be seen if the outcome changes in any way.