OEMs support NASCAR adding options to issue them penalties

02/15/2025 11:13 AM

NASCAR formally introduced rules to penalize its OEM partners earlier this month, and the three companies expressed an understanding of what the changes are meant to accomplish ahead of Sunday's Daytona 500.

But there is no expectation it will come into play at Daytona. NASCAR has never policed manufacturer alliances on superspeedways where drafting and teamwork are paramount to success. The magnifying glass will be out at other events after rules were written in the NASCAR Rule Book because of the race manipulation that played out at Martinsville Speedway in Oct.

Last fall, Chevrolet and Toyota drivers and teams were penalized for helping manufacturers’ championship contenders. A few Chevy drivers became blockers for William Byron instead of attempting to make a pass, and Bubba Wallace gave up a position to Christopher Bell.

"We are aligned in what those expectations are," said Tyler Gibbs, the president of Toyota Racing Development. "There are a lot of scenarios that you just can't plan out for. I think we know where that line is, and it is at a different place for the different kinds of racing. So, I think we're good."

There are multiple potential violations laid out in the rule book. The one that pertains to eliminating what happened in the fall is "violation of the performance obligation."

The section on the performance obligation spells out that "Any Member who attempts to improperly influence the outcome of the Event or encourages, persuades or induces others to do so shall be subject to penalties … Prohibited actions include, but are not limited to, intentional planning or conduct that prioritizes objectives other than achieving the best possible competitive result for their team."

Mark Rushbrook, the global director of Ford Performance, said, "We understand the principles."

Martinsville left NASCAR reviewing the finish for nearly 30 minutes to decide who took the final spot in the Championship 4. Byron’s and Bell's teams were left standing in limbo on pit road as they did, and the debate raged about what had happened. The penalties were announced in the days leading to the championship race, and race manipulation and the integrity of the championship were topics of conversation during championship weekend.

"We understand the spirit of what the rule is trying to do," Rushbrook continued. "You can never — sitting here or in a hauler — fully go through every scenario that can happen because of what it is, but I think that understanding and alignment on the principles, and understanding it will be different at a superspeedway vs a short track, I think we know what to do."

NASCAR did not previously have rules allowing penalties to be levied against its OEM partners. The teams and drivers, as happened post-Martinsville, have been penalized. Before Martinsville, the most recent penalty issued to a team had been in 2022 after the Charlotte Roval race. It was cited as altering the race when Cole Custer slowed on the final lap and impeded other drivers while teammate Chase Briscoe moved forward.

"I think we’ve had a lot of dialogue," said Eric Warren, GM executive director. "We’re all competitors. We want to compete. As you look at the races, it requires you to put some guardrails up. I think speedway racing, the important part is just because of the aerodynamics and the nature of speedway racing, you have to actually draft together to improve your performance and to be successful. I think it’s always been acknowledged in the discussions amongst all of us in NASCAR that speedway racing is different because of that.

"I think each situation is complicated, obviously, and things come up that you didn’t expect and you have to discuss. It’s a little uneasy sometimes trying to think about all these scenarios, but that’s just part of top-level racing and the competition. It’s just things we’ll have to deal with. We understand the principles, I think, as a whole. We all want to have great shows and great competition, and that’s really what we’re all here for and why we work together on those things."