In NASCAR’s New Era, Anger Is Expensive

Flaring tempers, whether by drivers or crew members, are nothing new in stock car racing. In fact, some of the incidents are legendary, such as the ending to the 1979 Daytona 500 and the 1987 All-Star race.

Listing all of the fights and skirmishes that have occurred on pit road and in the garage, the intentional spins, and the fender banging on the track would be impossible. However, this year they can cost more than a bloody lip, a black eye, a fine or a suspension. This year, a driver who loses control of his temper during a race could find himself outside the Chase. No chance for a championship and the accolades that go with it.

Under the win-and-you’re-in system, drivers could afford to throw away races. In other words, a race finish wasn’t as critical because as long as a driver had a victory the team knew it was in the playoffs, or it knew all it had to do to make the playoffs was acquire a win. That’s not the case this year. Points accumulated in every race are critical to making it into the Chase and then remaining in contention for the title once the post-season begins.

Two examples as to why every event is important occurred at Martinsville in the Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts series races. One involved Bubba Wallace in the Cook Out 400 Cup race and the other Rajah Caruth in the O’Reilly Series event.

"Bubba Wallace just drove flat through the 77 car." pic.twitter.com/KzYLAw766D

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 29, 2026

Wallace’s incident with Carson Hocevar sent him plummeting in the point standings. Entering the Goodyear 400 at Darlington a week earlier, Wallace was second in the standings. A poor performance at Darlington left him with a 34th-place finish, but he dropped only one position in the standings to third.

However, the incident with Hocevar the following week at Martinsville cost him tremendously. Wallace never ran in the top 10 during the Cook Out 400, but he remained on the lead lap and possibly would have recorded a top-20 finish. Then on lap 324 in turn four, Wallace slammed into the rear of Hocevar and spun him.

When the smoke cleared a dozen cars were involved but only two were eliminated from the event—Wallace and 23XI Racing teammate Riley Herbst. Wallace was left with a 36th-place finish, and he dropped in the standings to 11th. Actually, his 206-point total after seven races leaves him in a four-way tie for eighth. The other drivers with the same point total are Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, and Chris Buescher, all of whom had top-20 finishes at Martinsville.

On Saturday at Martinsville, Jesse Love and Caruth had a run-in in the O’Reilly Series race that led to a lengthy conversation between the two after the event. Caruth finished 25th while Love placed 12th. After seven races, Love is second in the standings while Caruth is 10th. Caruth was in that same position entering Martinsville, but he dropped from 155 points behind the leader entering the event to 198 after it.

“I had a conversation with all of our guys when the new point system came in,” Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports, said. “I said, the way you’ve raced and the way you thought about racing and winning races and points and playoffs and championships is completely gonna change. We’re gonna change the way we approach the season. In these moments, you cannot cost yourself positions.”

Earnhardt said he knew Caruth was angry, which was “out of character for hm,” but it was “unnecessary” because of the positions and points he lost at the end of the race. He told Caruth that in those moments it’s important to “keep ourselves together and get home.”

.@jesselovejr1 and @rajahcaruth_ have a post-race discussion following a late-race incident at Martinsville. pic.twitter.com/ENC5cGsCkQ

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) March 28, 2026

“This is a long season, a long championship battle,” Earnhardt said. “I want our team to realize that and not make these mistakes while the other guys stumble through this and finally figure it out midway through the year.

“I know he’s mad, but we’ve got to think about how many points we gave away, and we’re going to want those back in a couple months. We’re not going to be mad about what happened in the corner anymore weeks and weeks from now, but those points aren’t coming back.”

And neither is a chance at a championship.