Getty Cole Custer races at the Charlotte Roval.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe survived the Round of 12 after a chaos-filled final stage at the Charlotte Roval. Now NASCAR is reviewing his teammate’s actions that directly affected the elimination race.
“NASCAR is reviewing data, video, and radio transmissions from the 41 car following its incident on the backstretch during the final lap,” the sanctioning body said in a statement. “NASCAR will communicate the results of the review early this week. Any potential penalties would not affect the Round of Eight field.”
#NASCAR says it is reviewing the No. 41 car’s actions on the final lap.
Any potential penalties will not impact the Round of 8 field.
The incident occurred on the rear chicane on the final lap. Briscoe needed to gain one spot to put himself one point ahead of Kyle Larson and secure the final transfer spot. He dove to the inside of Austin Dillon and passed both him and Cole Custer. Meanwhile, the driver of the No. 41 navigated the portion of the track at a much slower pace while serving as an obstacle.
There will now be a review of this section as NASCAR tries to determine if Custer intentionally blocked Dillon and other drivers. If so, he and Stewart-Haas Racing could face penalties. If not, the playoffs will simply continue.
Custer Provided His Side of the Story
GettyCole Custer finished 24th at the Charlotte Roval.
There were some discussions about the final lap of the playoff race and whether Custer intentionally blocked for his teammate. No one knew the answer, but NBC Sports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, “Cole Custer, throwing a block on everybody” while watching the action.
Racing America’s Matt Weaver went and got Custer’s side of the story. He spoke to the driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang and learned that the radio communication could have mentioned a possible tire issue.
“Tried to pass the 8, he drove me down the apron on oval 1. I came back on track with a vibration, team yelled at me that I had a flat so I eased it in the corner to see what I had. I got ran over by the 3 twice. Thought I had a flat, had a vibration, got ran over.”
Cole Custer
“I came back on track with a vibration,” Custer told Weaver after saying that he had been driven down onto the apron by Tyler Reddick. “Team yelled at me that I had a flat, so I eased it in the corner to see what I had.”
Custer continued and said that Dillon had run him over twice and that he thought he had a flat. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver also said that he had a vibration, which has been an early warning sign before a blown tire throughout the 2022 season.
NASCAR Has Rules About ‘Manipulating’ Races
GettyChase Elliott (left) previously blocked Kevin Harvick (right) during a pivotal playoff race.
One factor that could play a role in the decision is a specific section of the NASCAR Rule Book. According to NBC Sports, Section 4.4C states that the penalty for “Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the Race of championship” results in the loss of 25-50 driver and owner points. It also includes a fine between $50,000 and $100,000.
Interestingly enough, there are multiple incidents that have created discussions about “race manipulation.” Back in 2013, Michael Waltrip Racing received a $300,000 fine and all of its drivers received 50-point penalties after Clint Bowyer spun and brought out the caution in the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway. Brian Vickers then gave up his position and went to pit road to help teammate Martin Truex Jr. make the playoffs.
Back in 2020, NASCAR reviewed the playoff elimination race at Martinsville after Erik Jones’ spotter told him not to pass teammate Denny Hamlin. This kept Hamlin in a position to reach the championship four, but neither he nor Jones received any penalties.
Two more recent examples took place during the 2021 season. Ross Chastain blocked Kyle Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway during the Quaker State 400 after giving the bottom lane to then-teammate Kurt Busch. This move was the main reason why the 2004 Cup Series champion won and secured a spot in the playoffs, but it did not result in a penalty from NASCAR.
“No question, man,” Kyle Busch said when asked if Chastain intentionally blocked him. “He turned right in order to get dead right in front of me. For a whole two laps, I just killed the tires trying to get turned underneath him.
“You can’t just change direction, and when I tried to change direction, he watched his mirror and changed direction with me. So he just stomped on the brake and air blocked. It’s pathetic.”
Weeks later, a different situation unfolded during the Round of 16 elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Chase Elliott fell a lap down after contact with Kevin Harvick cut his tire. He then went back out on the track and blocked Harvick, which opened the door for teammate Kyle Larson to take the lead and win.
“We’re racing for the freaking win at Bristol,” Harvick told NBC Sports after the race. “We’re three wide in the middle, and he throws a temper tantrum. I was just trying to get the lead and racing hard.
“Then he pulls up in front of me and just sits there until I lose the whole lead. Just hate it for our team to be able to lose a race like that. I watch him let the 24 go by in the middle of the stage, and then he just rode around until [Larson] caught me, and I was tight behind [Elliott], and we wound up being passed by [Larson].”
While Harvick referred to Elliott’s moves as “chickens***” and temper tantrums, NASCAR saw the situation a different way. The driver of the No. 9 did not receive a penalty for blocking Harvick during the final stage at Bristol Motor Speedway.