NASCAR has yet to review the radio communications from the closing laps of Sunday's race (they intend to do so in the week ahead). And while Ryan Blaney drove off with the race win, strange things were happening throughout the field as Chevy and Toyota grappled for the final spot in the Championship 4. If we break down the communications ourselves though, it's clear that manufacturer loyalty played a crucial role in what transpired at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.
Setting the 'final' stage
When the final restart came with 87 laps to go, Christopher Bell was trapped a lap down and unable to make any forward progress from 19th. He was three points behind William Byron for the final transfer spot. Up front, Kyle Larson was leading the race and in the Championship 4 -- until his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott took the lead for himself with 25 laps to go. But it was all for naught as reigning NASCAR Cup champ Ryan Blaney passed them both in the laps that followed.
None of that changed the situation for Bell and Byron who were in a constant struggle for that final transfer spot. When Austin Cindric and Denny Hamlin managed to pass Byron and the margin was suddenly a single point. The math was simple: One position is one point. With 12 laps left, the bleeding suddenly stopped for the No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet (Byron) as fellow Chevy driver Austin Dillon pulled up to his rear bumper.
Now for a closer look at what the late-race radio communications between manufacturer allies reveals about this controversial finish that decided the Championship 4.
Dillon rides behind the #24
Before the race even began, the No. 3 Chevy radio of Dillon openly mentioned being cognizant of the Hendrick playoff drivers. That's not unusual in these playoff races, but as Dillon was catching Byron in the closing laps, they made it clear that there was only one priority -- protect Byron.
"The 24 is only two points to the good right now and there’s two spots between them," crew chief Justin Alexander explained to spotter Brandon Benesch. He then told Dillon about the points situation, and Alexander quickly added: "If we pass him, he'll be out."
Dillon wanted to know who Byron was racing and they flatly told him: "He just can't give up spots."
Does Chastain know the deal?
As Chastain in the No. 1 Chevrolet rapidly closed, pulling alongside Dillon, the radio became more interesting. "Does he know the deal?" asked the No. 3 crew chief. Atop the spotter's stand, Benesch replied: “I’m trying to tell him. Justin can you tell the crew chief?”
With 12 laps to go, the same question lit up the radio again -- but with more urgency -- as Chastain pulled alongside Dillon. “Does the 1 crew chief know the deal?” asked Benesch. “Yeah he should," replied Alexander, but he didn't sound fully sure.
Things were much quieter on Chastain's radio. Spotter Brandon McReynolds informed him of the points situation. However, there was a moment when the always-aggressive Chastain still got to the outside of Byron with seven laps to go. His spotter quickly keyed the mic: “Nice and smart with the 24 here down there.” Chastain did not reply, but never pulled alongside Byron again.
Dillon and Chastain ran side-by-side for most of the final 10 laps, moving like a rolling roadblock that made it impossible for anyone else to get near the No. 24 car. Right behind them, the field was stacking up with Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Carson Hocevar all packed tightly together.
Wallace: "God forbid we don't help a f****** JGR car"
While Byron could not afford to lose a single spot, Bell was desperate to gain just one. He knew he would win any tiebreakers, courtesy of his runner-up finish at Las Vegas two weeks prior.
“God forbid if we don’t help a f****** JGR car," radioed Bubba Wallace while riding around in 18th place. Crew chief Bootie Barker instructed spotter Freddie Kraft to tell Wallace where the No. 20 of Bell was on track. "Relay it to him," said Barker. "10-4, I will. 24 is half a straightaway behind us," answered Kraft.
They continued to give Wallace updates on Bell's whereabouts and with 10 laps to go, he was told about the points situation. With five laps left, something happened to the No. 23 Toyota. Entering Turn 3, Wallace went up out of the groove. “I think I’ve got a tire going down," said Wallace. Barker told the spotter to inform Wallace that his teammate, Tyler Reddick, "had a fire" in an issue that put him out of the race earlier. This might have been a way to try to connect the issue to whatever was happening to the No. 23.
Slowing down just enough
On Lap 495 of 500, Wallace's times abruptly fell off and he ran a full second slower than the previous lap. He gained about half-a-second of that back the next lap before abruptly falling off again. Bell was gaining about a second per lap now. The car kept driving up into the marbles, slowing down as his lap times fluctuated wildly.
Coming to the white flag, he got in the way of the Byron group and there was a tense three-wide moment with Chastain and Dillon. Chastain even ran into the back of Byron. Wallace slowed down enough that Bell caught him just as the field entered the final corner on the final lap.
Bell entered Turn 3 deep and flew by Wallace, but hit the wall as he slid up the track. At that point, he proceeded to put the throttle down, riding the wall to the finish line. He didn't gain any additional spots by doing that. It also looked like a slower, similar version of Chastain's now-banned wall-ride move from two years ago.
Wallace's final lap was over three seconds off the pace and 2.3 seconds slower than his previous lap. Bell got the point he needed — he was in the Championship 4 — for 27 minutes.
On the cool-down lap, the team asked if Wallace needed a fire extinguisher, again connecting it to the issue that put Reddick out of the race earlier.
"I'm okay, I think," replied Wallace.
"Tire looked up," observed Kraft. "Looked just like s*** the last couple laps there. Just be careful getting in here. May be on fire like the No. 45." It was not on fire.
The fallout
In the background, Bell and Byron emerged from their cars but no one was celebrated. NASCAR immediately moved to review the finish, without taking into account the assists from Byron's fellow Chevys or the Toyota of Wallace. Instead, they focused on the wall ride. Although Bell did not gain any spots from it, NASCAR deemed it to be a safety violation, and in a shocking twist, removed Bell from the Championship 4 while Byron was reinstated. Officials also informed Joe Gibbs Racing that they have no right to appeal.
When NASCAR does get to reviewing the comms this week, the conclusion still won't change the final four drivers, but the 1, 3, and 23 teams could see penalties, similarly to what happened two years ago when Cole Custer slowed on the final lap to help Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Chase Briscoe advance into the Round of 8. NASCAR fined Custer $100,000, suspended his crew chief, and docked the team 50 points.
