Talking on his podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr. suggested that the practice of race manipulation is a reality that taints the entire sport of NASCAR. This comes in the wake of the Martinsville incident, which has cast a shadow over the 2024 NASCAR Cup Season as Joey Logano clinched the championship.
The controversy kicked off when Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell faced disqualification at a crucial part of the season during the Round of 8. At Martinsville, drivers Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain were involved in a strategy to protect William Byron’s position in the championship, prompting NASCAR to launch an investigation. The subsequent penalties were severe: 50-point deductions, hefty $100,000 fines, and suspensions for several team officials.
As the scandal unfolded, Dale Earnhardt Jr. addressed the situation on his podcast, providing insight into the complexities of race dynamics in NASCAR.
“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through as a race car driver,” he reflected. “Again, I look back to, I will tell him he should probably go watch Martinsville from several years ago when the car he was driving was sort of doing the same thing for Denny at the end of the race. This is nothing new.”
James Gilbert/Getty Images
The disqualification deeply frustrated Bell, who admitted his performance issues that coincided with the scandal. Earnhardt Jr. continued, adding that such manipulation isn’t unprecedented.
“I get it he’s frustrated and he has every right to say whatever he wants to say but I don’t think, I don’t think there’s anyone [that] is entirely innocent of some ‘manipulation,'” he observed.
Despite this setback, Bell remains ready to take on a leadership role within Joe Gibbs Racing. With Martin Truex Jr. having retired and veteran Denny Hamlin nearing the end of his career, Bell’s emergence as a figurehead at JGR is increasingly significant.
Former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty noted this change within JGR. Petty compared this evolution to Hendrick Motorsports’ earlier shift towards youth, projecting Bell as a key player for the team’s future.
“I think that was the plan. Just like when we saw the Hendrick organization, a number of years skewed to a number of young drivers. Everybody was under 26 or 27,” Petty told GoPRNLive. “A Sports organization has to cut ties with what brought them there and start all over to reestablish themselves as that powerhouse.”
The prospect of Bell stepping into Hamlin’s shoes as the No. 11 driver aligns with JGR’s broader strategy to freshen their ranks with upcoming talent. Mentorship from experienced drivers like Truex Jr., Hamlin, and Kyle Busch is expected to fortify Bell’s capacity as a leader.