The Cup series eliminator at Martinsville was filled with drama and thrill. Firstly, Ryan Blaney took the checkered flag after an intense battle with Chase Elliott in the final stages of the race. This came when both the drivers were in the elimination zone entering the race, making it a must-win for the two. However, the defending champion bested the Hendrick Motorsports driver as he took the lead with 14 laps to go and crossed the checkered flag to bag a Championship 4 spot.

Speaking of the final stages of the race, it became clear that Blaney would most likely take the third spot in Phoenix, leaving only one more up for grabs. This led to William Byron and Christopher Bell locking horns, having everyone on the edge of their seats till the very end of the race. While Byron was trying not to lose a position, Bell was desperate to gain a position. And it looked like both had illegal help on the racetrack to achieve that! Post-the-race, radio conversations are making the rounds showing blatant race manipulation done for aiding the #24 car.

William Byron gets help to reach the championship 4

What happened was, entering the race, Bell was +27 points to the good and Byron followed him with +7 points. Naturally, it was going to be a tight battle. However, what unfolded on the track seems to have crossed a line. As the race reached its final stages, Byron, in the 5th position, had a +2 points lead over Bell in the 19th. However, with Hamlin passing Byron for 5th, the gap reduced to +1. Another position loss could have meant game over for the #24 team and, more importantly, for Chevrolet, as none of their cars other than Byron’s was in contention to bag a championship spot.

As with Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and then Ryan Blaney en route to bag the win, it was two Ford and one Toyota already locked in Phoenix. Hence, the desperation seemed even greater. While William Byron held P6, it seemed only possible if fellow Chevy drivers Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon behind him held their positions, not letting any car pass. And if you see the view from their cameras, neither driver is trying to pass the #24 car even though there seemed to be some openings. This is clearly race manipulation, as, in any other race, Chastain would be hell-bent on getting a win or at least a top 5.

In fact, recent radio conversations have revealed that there were coordinated moves executed between the teams to aid Byron. On the radio, Austin Dillon’s crew chief, Justin Alexander, can be heard saying, “The 24 is only 2 points to good right now. If we pass him, he’ll be out. He just can’t give up spots.” If this is not a command to stay behind, then what is it? At this time, Dillion had Chastain tailing him, and Dillion on the radio can also be heard confirming if the Chastain knows the plan. “Does the #1 (Ross Chastain) crew chief know the deal?” To which Alexander replies, “He should.”

And not just this, even Chastain’s crew chief, Phil Surgen, can be heard saying, “The #24 is one to the good, one point to the good. Stick to wind up with the #3 (Austin Dillion).” 

Still, Bell, at the last turn in the race, passed Bubba Wallace to take the 18th spot and tie the points with Byron. In case of a tie, the driver with the best finish in any of the round of three races progresses. And Bell had only recently finished P2 at Las Vegas, so that was enough. But in passing the #23, Bell lost control and rammed into the wall, leading to a Hail Melon 2.0 to finish the race. The move, now banned, had the #20 eliminated and William Byron in the final 4.

However, it is also being speculated that Wallace too was involved in race manipulation for his Toyota teammate. This was because the #23 car suddenly slowed down when Bell made the pass. After the race, Wallace said, “I felt loose… or something broke“. However, on his radio during the race, he clearly mentioned that his tire went down. These conflicting responses only fuel the allegations of race manipulation. A post-race car inspection could really solve all our mysteries, but NASCAR has decided to keep the race manipulation matter aside for now. Who knows what the truth is? While Bell is disappointed with how the Chevys worked together, it seems like there is nothing he can do about it.

NASCAR’s stand on what happened at Martinsville

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This is the first time Christopher Bell will miss out on a championship appearance in the next-gen car and naturally was disappointed. Post the race speaking on race manipulation, he told NBC Sports’ Dustin Long, “I mean that was disappointing. That was disappointing to see them blocking like that and manipulating the race. I don’t know.” And what usually would have been a serious matter for NASCAR isn’t currently taking center stage in their discussions.

In the post-race press conference, NASCAR Vice President Elton Sawyer said, “If you look at the other situations that will go on 23 and cars behind in the 24. Really no bearing at this time. We will look at those at a later time and really dissect exactly what happened with the situation of the 20 getting up against the fence and then riding the fence, which we have clearly stated in our statement after Ross (Chastain) did that, that would not be accepted.”

Sawyer further reiterated that he did not wish to comment on the hypothetical scenarios and that their focus is the Bell’s ‘Hail Melon 2.0’ move. “The hypotheticals is really difficult. I don’t want to be making statements of things, ifs, ands, and buts. I don’t want to do that. Like I said, the main focus for us in the tower, when the situation happened, was focusing on the 20 [Bell] car. Let’s figure out where are we at there. To me and our team, there was focus more on that than the other stuff.”

Well, only time will tell if we are going to see big penalties for drivers and crew chiefs. And whether that would have any impact on Bell and Byron’s finishing positions. What do you think NASCAR should do? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.