NASCAR: 4 teams manipulated the results of the season finale

Four teams attempted to manipulate the outcome of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season finale and have been penalized accordingly.

The NASCAR Cup Series hadn’t seen a high-profile case of race manipulation since September of 2013 in the regular season finale at Richmond Raceway, to which NASCAR responded by altering the playoff picture and removing Michael Waltrip Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. from the playoffs due to his team’s role in the manipulation.

That changed this year.

In the 2019 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway back on Sunday, November 17, four teams were found to have manipulated the results in an attempt to help one team win of the lower profile championships, and they have all been penalized accordingly.

Here is what NASCAR senior vice president of competition Scott Miller had to say about the matter, according to NASCAR.

"“Following a thorough review of race data and driver/team communication from the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as well as interviews with several competitors, NASCAR has determined that the Nos. 15, 27, 52 and 77 teams have violated Sections 12.8.g and 12.8.1 of the NASCAR rule book, which addresses manipulating the outcome of a race. As a result, those teams in violation of the rule book have been penalized as listed in the penalty report.”"

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The #15 Chevrolet and #27 Chevrolet are both Premium Motorsports entries while the #52 Chevrolet is a Rick Ware Racing entry and the #77 Chevrolet in a Spire Motorsports entry.

Premium Motorsports were battling to finish as the top Open, non-chartered team in the 2019 team owner standings, and they ultimately did so by one point with the #27 Chevrolet, which Ross Chastain drove to a 35th place finish in the 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Homestead-Miami Speedway oval in Homestead, Florida.

But Chastain did not record this 35th place finish before the #15 Chevrolet, #52 Chevrolet and #77 Chevrolet, which were driven by Joe Nemechek, Josh Bilicki and Reed Sorenson, respectively, retired from the race with mechanical issues toward the end of the race — all within a mere 15-lap span of one another.

Premium Motorsports competition director Scott Eggleston and Rick Ware Racing competition director Kenneth Evans have been fined $25,000 and suspended indefinitely over this race manipulation. Team owners Jay Robinson of Premium Motorsports, Rick Ware of Rick Ware Racing and T.J. Puchyr of Spire Motorsports were all fined $50,000 as well, and all teams involved were docked 50 points in the final team owner standings.

As a result, the highest finishing Open, non-chartered team in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series team owner standings is the #96 Toyota team of Gaunt Brothers Racing.