While it’s open to having conversations with any of them, a NASCAR executive said Monday morning the sanctioning body has no plans to punish the various drivers who delivered retaliatory acts over the weekend at Watkins Glen International.
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s chief racing development officer, briefly addressed the on-track drama from the road course on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive.”
“We’ll certainly talk to the drivers who want to have a conversation with us. That’s fair,” O’Donnell said. “We always kind of get through the weekend, emotions run high and then check in with folks before they head to the next race, but from our perspective nothing to come of what took place on the race track.
The drama started on Saturday with Ross Chastain and Justin Allgaier in the Xfinity Series. Chastain turned Allgaier into a tire barrier on Lap 14. Allgaier then returned the favor on the final lap of Stage 1 when he forced Chastain off track and into a Turn 5 tire barrier. Afterwards, Allgaier said he only wanted to spin Chastain, not wreck him.
On Sunday, the action started early when Kyle Busch spun from contact with William Byron in Turn 1 on Lap 2. Busch later gave Byron a push through the inner loop grass. Byron’s crew chief, Chad Knaus, then instructed him to retaliate against Busch, which he did during the first stage break, significantly damaging his own car.
Busch’s rough day continued when Bubba Wallace blamed Busch for wrecking him in Turn 5 on Lap 39. After pitting for repairs, Wallace banged doors with Busch multiple times on the front stretch before he finally dumped Busch as they neared Turn 1.
Wallace delivered an expletive filled rant against Busch after the race.
ICYMI: @NASCAR Executive Vice President @odsteve told @TheMikeBagley & @PPistone on #TMDNASCAR there will be no punishments coming from the on track incidents we saw at @WGI this weekend pic.twitter.com/cnjm2N58uA
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) August 5, 2019