Trackhouse, RCR, 23XI Penalized for Manipulation of Martinsville Race
In a statement posted to social media on Wednesday, 23XI Racing confirms it has withdrawn its appeal of the race manipulation penalties handed to the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE team following Sunday's XFINITY 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
"After internal deliberations, 23XI has decided not to appeal NASCAR's decision to penalize the No. 23 team. We disagree with the penalty ruling and strongly believe we did not break any rules at Martinsville. It is our conclusion that it is in our best interests, and those of our team members, partners, and fans to fully devote our personnel and resources this week toward the championship and not an appeal."
New update from 23XI pic.twitter.com/CFlIuxOJxC
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) November 6, 2024
Richard Childress Racing and Trackhouse Racing still plan to appeal the penalties.
TJ Bell, a long-time NASCAR National Series spotter, will serve as the interim spotter for Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, per NASCAR's Roster Portal. No interim crew chief has been named at this time.
Trackhouse Racing, Richard Childress Racing, and 23XI Racing have all been handed major penalties for manipulating the outcome of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway.
These penalties, announced by NASCAR on Tuesday, stem from the late-race behaviour of several teams that impacted the outcome of not just the race results, but the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR's Senior Vice President of Competition, said in a post-race press conference on Sunday that NASCAR would be further investigating the actions of the No. 1, No. 3, and No. 23 teams.
Each of the three organizations have had three key personnel -- a team executive, the crew chief, and the spotter -- suspended from the next points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event, which will be Sunday's season-finale at Phoenix Raceway.
From Trackhouse Racing, Tony Lunders (executive), Phil Surgen (crew chief), and Brandon McReynolds (spotter) have been suspended. Driver Ross Chastain (No. 1) has been docked 50 driver and owner points, and driver and team have been fined $100,000.
From Richard Childress Racing, Keith Rodden (executive), Justin Alexander (crew chief), and Brandon Benesch (spotter) have been suspended. Driver Austin Dillon (No. 3) has been docked 50 driver and owner points, and driver and team have been fined $100,000.
From 23XI Racing, Dave Rogers (executive), Bootie Barker (crew chief), and Freddie Kraft (spotter) have been suspended. Driver Bubba Wallace (No. 23) has been docked 50 driver and owner points, and driver and team have been fined $100,000.
All three penalized organizations (Trackhouse, Richard Childress Racing, and 23XI Racing) will appeal these penalties handed down by NASCAR.
In a statement posted to social media, 23XI Racing says: "23XI is aware of the penalty issued by NASCAR stemming from Sunday's race at Martinsville. We feel strongly that we did not commit any violations during Sunday's race and we will appeal NASCAR's ruling.
Update from 23XI pic.twitter.com/sElE7tC0Ej
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) November 5, 2024
The appeals for this matter will be expedited and likely heard this week, prior to the Championship events this weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
Also, a separate penalty was assessed to Richard Childress Racing, for the right-front wheel that became dislodged from the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing. Josh Sobecki and Michael Russell have been suspended for the next two NASCAR Cup Series events, through the 2025 Busch Light Clash.
