While NASCAR Ford driver Ryan Blaney outran the field to win at Martinsville on November 3rd, 2024, some shenanigans unfolded behind him. Two Chevy teams and one Toyota were instructed to assist other drivers from their respective manufacturers, resulting in hefty penalties after officials determined that their actions constituted race manipulation. 2024 champion Joey Logano revealed that NASCAR executives issued a warning to all teams before the season finale at Phoenix, telling them that any attempts to manipulate the championship race would lead to disqualification from competing in the 2025 Daytona 500.
Logano dropped the news while speaking with former NASCAR Ford driver Kevin Harvick on the Happy Hour podcast. Logano, who drives the No. 22 NASCAR Ford Mustang Dark Horse, said that from his point of view, other teams were showing signs of pulling similar stunts to Martinsville, including blocking and racing hard during practice sessions. In response, the sanctioning body cracked down.
“They did threaten us before the race,” Logano said, “If anyone manipulates the race somehow, you’re not racing in the Daytona 500 next year.”
Logano said that he wasn’t sure if NASCAR was bluffing, but he didn’t want to find out. He also admits that the current Playoffs system, which incorporates an elimination-style format, might encourage teams to act at the behest of their manufacturer to get ahead.
“If Chevy or Ford or Toyota are stroking these big checks and they say, ‘Hey, it’s very important to have our car in the Championship 4, and we fund a lot of your stuff, you better do the right thing,’ what are you gonna do? You’re backed up against a wall.”
Check out Logano’s discussion with Harvick in the video below, starting at the 27:27 mark.
While Logano doesn’t have an answer, NASCAR itself might. During the State of the Sport address before Phoenix, the sanctioning body stated that it will impose new guidelines that will allow it to penalize individual manufacturers next year, as reported by our sister publication, GM Authority. In other words, if a NASCAR Ford driver acts on instructions directly from The Blue Oval, then Ford could find itself in the hot seat.
Comment
‘instructed to assist other drivers from their respective manufacturers’? No definitive proof has been offered to substantiate that claim. Rumours, yes, facts, not so much.