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CONCORD, NC – JANUARY 20: Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Mike Ford speaks with the media during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Lowe’s Motor Speedway on January 20, 2009 at Joe Gibbs Racing in Huntersville, North Carolina. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)
Trackhouse Racing’s latest move at Gateway may have seemed like nothing more than a playful celebration, but NASCAR has made it clear, it’s not amused.
During the most recent episode of the Hauler Talk podcast, NASCAR managing director of communications Mike Forde revealed that officials were not pleased with what Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen pulled after Sunday’s Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Both Trackhouse drivers steered their Chevrolets directly through the infield grass during the cooldown lap. To fans in the stands, it might have looked creative, even entertaining. To NASCAR, though, it looked like a potential rule violation.
“We did not care for it, not one bit,” Forde said. “We’re going to just remind teams this is something where we actually have a rule. I think we’re going to give [Trackhouse] a little bit of a warning. But there is a rule that says what they did, you could argue, broke a rule, and there could have been repercussions for it.”
For now, NASCAR is only issuing a warning. But Forde stressed that if a team tries the same stunt again, the governing body will not hesitate to act.
NASCAR Plans to Discuss the Issue
Earlier this week, Brad Moran, NASCAR Cup Series managing director, confirmed that the sanctioning body would be meeting with Trackhouse management to go over the incident. He added that crew chiefs across the garage will also be reminded of the rules to avoid any gray areas.
“Oh, yeah, we’ll be having some discussions with Trackhouse management as well as our crew chiefs will be given all the teams some information regarding that this week,” Moran said. “It certainly caught our radar. Where we see that, they can be pretty comfortable knowing it won’t go unnoticed.”
NASCAR Says Penalties Are Possible
Forde was blunt about how NASCAR intends to handle similar situations in the future.
“That is something that we’ll frown upon in a significant way,” he explained. “Whether that is going to be an in-race penalty or a DQ, that is going to be determined after the event. It depends on how blatant the violation was.”
That means NASCAR has left the door open for anything from a minor slap on the wrist to a full-blown disqualification. The governing body isn’t tying itself to one outcome, it will look at intent and severity before making a call.
Teams Already Walking a Fine Line
The warning to Trackhouse doesn’t come in isolation. Forde also noted that teams across the Cup Series are already walking a fine line when it comes to the rulebook, particularly on weight regulations.
“These teams are pushing it so close to the line on weight,” he said. “They know exactly how to math it out where we give them a 17-pound tolerance after the race. In Darlington, we measured every single playoff car, and there were a couple of cars that were within a pound of almost failing and being DQ’d.”
That margin is razor-thin. A single pound over or under could be the difference between a result standing, or being stripped away.
For Chastain and van Gisbergen, Sunday’s off-road detour didn’t cost them anything. But NASCAR’s warning is loud and clear: try it again, and the outcome could be very different.
And for other teams? This should serve as a warning shot across the entire garage. NASCAR’s patience with “creative interpretations” of the rulebook is wearing thin.
Dogli Wilberforce is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce
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