NASCAR makes significant changes to race manipulation rule ahead of Daytona 500

NASCAR has changed its verbiage on the race manipulation rule again, after it was updated in January following the 2024 season.

FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass posted the new version of the rule to his Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon, providing further clarity on the ruling that could help curb teaming in the sport, particularly late in the season.

The new rule reads as follows:

“Any Member who attempts to improperly influence the outcome of the Event or encourages, persuades or induces others to do so shall be subject to penalties, as outlined in Section 10 Violations and Disciplinary Action. Prohibited actions include, but are not limited to, intentional planning or conduct that prioritizes objectives other than achieving the best possible competitive result for their team.”

That race manipulation language obviously leaves a good deal of subjectivity, as it is difficult to determine which actions a team takes that might not be aligned with the goal of producing the best result for the team.

In any case, it’s one more step toward curbing some of the behavior NASCAR saw at Martinsville in a playoff race last year.

Multiple drivers drew scrutiny then for potential race manipulation that would impact the playoff standings as a handful of drivers pushed to finish in the final four.

Christopher Bell appeared to get an assist from fellow Toyota driver Bubba Wallace, who slowed down considerably, letting Bell pass, on the final lap.

Then there was Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon, who seemed to slow down and block the track up for William Byron so he wouldn’t lose any further positioning. It was a bad look all around for NASCAR. The new rules should help address that.

NASCAR has also introduced a new ruling on OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) designed to further curb potential race manipulation.