Brett Griffin, a spotter for Kaulig Racing, on Door Bumper Clear made a very interesting accusation of NASCAR on his podcast. The accusation was that a NASCAR official came on the radio to talk to Ross Chastain’s spotter after racing Ryan Blaney for the lead. The clip is below followed by the whole quote.
When Blaney hit Ross Chastain, Ross Chastain’s spotter, was fussed at by a NASCAR official…The official went down there and said ‘What are you doing?’, and [Chastain’s spotter] was like, ‘What am I doing, I’m trying to win a race.’ Right, but [the official] didn’t want Ross Chastain racing to be, I don’t know racing I guess Blaney that hard…they didn’t want another shishow on their hands”.
Brett Griffin
Now, it is important to understand the context of this clip. This was part of a larger conversation regarding driver respect in response to the Truck Series race on Friday night, which saw two Championship contenders, Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar, wrecking each other. Essentially, the theory Griffin seemed to be trying to propose was that NASCAR was trying to prevent an accident involving a Championship contender similar to what happened on Friday.
This is supported by comments made by Elton Sawyer in the driver’s meeting. He said, “We saw what not to do on Friday night.”
Fans quickly pointed out how, to them, this seemed like NASCAR was trying to manipulate the race outcome. NASCAR has put the hammer down on that before, most notably with “Spingate” in 2013. Mike Forde, who works with NASCAR in communications, disputed those claims saying that the official was telling both spotters that the drivers needed to “Calm down”.
Basically, there are two sides to this story. There is one side which looks like NASCAR is trying to manipulate the race outcome and allow Ryan Blaney a chance to pass Ross Chastain, and there is the other side which is NASCAR simply asking both drivers to race clean. Obviously, NASCAR has rules on the books to prevent overly aggressive driving, so, they are within their rights to reprimand a driver for not racing cleanly.
Which side is true? We will not know until we hear the radio communications that did occur, which have not been released to the public as of yet. However, we do know that NASCAR has in the past told drivers how to race against Championship contenders.
Nascarman posted a video of a driver’s meeting before the last race of the season from seemingly the late 1980s or early 1990s. Dick Beaty, former NASCAR race director, made it very clear how to race Championship contenders.
Former Cup Series driver, Rick Mast added on Twitter that Beaty would say that every year. Therefore, there is a pattern developing for how NASCAR wants the Championship contenders to be raced.
On top of that, it is just common courtesy to not mess up a Championship Contender’s day. Now, that common courtesy only goes so far, but, naturally, some drivers will take extra care when racing around Championship contenders.
Obviously, it is understandable to tell drivers to not make dumb decisions while racing Championship contenders. However, it is another thing to ask drivers not to race them.
What happened on Sunday at Phoenix? We do not totally know, but, if NASCAR tried to manipulate the outcome of the race, that is a bad look. At the same time, there is nothing wrong with asking drivers to keep it clean out on the race track, and, if that happened, it’s not so egregious.
Bubba Wallace shared a message on X following the death of a close friend, writing about the weight of the news over the weekend.
“Makes you think about life and how precious it is… That tune… Nutshell- Alice In Chains Love yall,” he continued.
While Wallace did not name the friend in his post, one day before, reports confirmed that Chase Pistone, 42, had died. Pistone competed on short tracks and in NASCAR’s national ranks and later owned a Legends car. His family asked media outlets to share the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, 988. His brothers, Nick and Tom Pistone, confirmed the news to LegendsNation.com.
Pistone, who was the grandson of NASCAR driver “Tiger” Tom Pistone, built his racing career in Legends cars and Late Models before stepping into NASCAR competition.
Apparently, Wallace and Pistone raced each other in Legends cars around 2005. Pistone won four Summer Shootout Championships at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with two titles in the Semi-Pro and two in the Pro divisions. Wallace competed in both Bandolero and Legends categories during that period, winning 35 of 48 Bandolero races in one season.
Both drivers were regulars at the Charlotte Summer Shootout. From there, their paths moved toward the national touring series.
Pistone made starts in ARCA and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2005 and 2006, including an appearance with Green Light Racing at Martinsville Speedway. Meanwhile, Wallace moved into the K&N Pro Series East by 2010.
In 2006, Pistone made a start in the Nationwide Series at Martinsville, finishing 37th. After failing to qualify for the ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona in 2007, he stepped away from NASCAR competition until 2014.
He returned that year for eight combined starts in the Truck and Nationwide Series. In his final season at the national level, Pistone recorded a P9-place finish in the Truck Series race at Gateway, the best of his NASACR Truck career.
Beyond driving, Pistone owned CP Inc., building Legends and Late Model stock cars and offering leasing programs that included equipment, crew, and transport.
Magic Johnson, who faced Michael Jordan 18 times on the NBA court, including 13 regular-season games and 5 games in the 1991 NBA Finals, recently offered public praise for 23XI Racing’s rise in the 2026 NASCAR season.
The two former NBA players built their rivalry on NBA courts before competing together on the 1992 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team, known as the “Dream Team,” where the pair were known as both friends and fierce competitors. In fact, Magic Johnson played a central role in recruiting Michael Jordan and Larry Bird to join the 1992 U.S. Olympic squad.
The defining clash between Johnson and Jordan came in the 1991 NBA Finals, a season that was the shift from the Los Angeles Lakers’ “Showtime” run to the rise of the Chicago Bulls. And now, years later, Johnson turned to social media to compliment MJ’s stock car venture.
The presence of Michael Jordan in the garage has not only drawn fresh eyes to NASCAR, but also widened the sport’s reach beyond its base and placed it on platforms fans haven’t seen in years, like ESPN. The network has not held NASCAR broadcast rights since 2014, and since then, its focus has centered on properties under its umbrella, including the NBA, NFL, and WNBA. But now, even without rights, NASCAR headlines tied to MJ and 23XI Racing’s run have found space throughout their coverage.
MJ’s 23XI Racing team has opened the season with three straight wins with their No. 45 driver, Tyler Reddick. The run began with a win in the Daytona 500, the organization’s first success in that event since its launch in 2021.
Reddick followed with a win at Atlanta and then completed the sweep at the Circuit of the Americas, becoming the first driver in Cup Series history to win the opening three races of a season.
The accomplishment also placed the 23XI Racing team alongside one of the most successful organizations in NASCAR, Petty Enterprises, which last won the first three Cup races of a season in 1963.
When Reddick’s Toyota crossed the start/finish line at COTA, MJ was seen celebrating on pit road with the crew. In post-race remarks, Jordan acknowledged the pressure Reddick carried entering COTA with a chance to sweep the opening stretch. He praised the No. 45 crew and crew chief Billy Scott, and credited co-owner Denny Hamlin as the “mastermind” behind the roster build, citing Hamlin’s role in identifying Reddick’s talent and bringing him into the team.
Lionel Racing finally confirmed the first wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics 1:64 scale diecast for Monday morning, with the line of retail-exclusive diecast featuring a new look for the new year.
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