It’s no secret that OEM-aligned teams work together in modern NASCAR, but did Sunday’s finish cross the line into race manipulation? Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon, who now serves as the Vice Chairman at Hendrick Motorsports, saw nothing wrong with what unfolded in the closing laps.

Speaking in a Monday media availability, Gordon said: “One thing that we do all year long … this is something that you build on year after year as an organization with your teammates and your OEM in Chevy, it’s having these conversations: How do we work together, how do we not work against against one another, how do we share information, and what do we do about being aware of one another on the race track — no matter what race it is all year long but especially when you get into the playoffs.

#24: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro, #3: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: John K Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

“That’s your job as a driver and as a team and a crew chief — it’s to be aware of what’s on the line. Who is in the championship hunt, who (has) got a shot to transfer through if they win, who is tight on points and so I think that’s what you saw really play out yesterday.”

Radio communication indicated that there might have been some sort of organization from manufacturer allies, or at the very least an intense focus on what was happening with the No. 24. Byron could not afford to lose a single spot, and the No. 3 of Austin Dillon rode behind him for the final leg of the race. When the No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain arrived, chatter on the Dillon radio wanted to make sure that Chastain’s team knew what was on the line. Neither driver ever passed Byron, forming a rolling blockade of sorts that stopped anyone else from getting close to the HMS driver.

Ultimately, Gordon saw nothing wrong with how things transpired from within the Chevrolet camp in the closing laps. He only saw drivers “racing as hard as they could, but also racing to advance and racing to make sure you’re aware of what others are doing and what they had on the line. That means you don’t go wreck somebody or turn somebody. You just give them a little bit more room and leniency and I feel like that’s what I saw from a Chevy side of things”

Gordon thought a Bell penalty was coming

After the race, NASCAR deliberated for 27 minutes. Gordon was right there with William Byron on pit road during the agonizing wait for NASCAR to hand down their ruling. His initial gut reaction after the race was that NASCAR would act on Bell’s wall-ride, which would put them in a good position to get Byron into the Championship 4.

“Immediately my focus went to watching the 20 [Bell] car ride the wall,” said Gordon. “It looked like he was accelerating and even though it wasn’t the same with what happened with the #1 car and Ross Chastain … it looked very, very similar to me.

“When you saw what happened with the 20 get loose and get up into the wall — we were watching that intently. And then when he rode the wall, I did feel like … NASCAR may have a ruling there.”

Ultimately, he was correct. NASCAR ruled it as a safety violation and Bell was moved to the end of the lap, ending his 2024 title bid. Had NASCAR left it alone, three of the four drivers eliminated on Sunday would have been Hendrick drivers and none would have remained to fight for the championship.

NASCAR stated on Sunday that the radio communications were not part of their immediate decision post-race but that they would review it this week. While the Championship 4 likely will not change, it’s possible NASCAR could choose to penalize the No. 1 and No. 3 teams, and perhaps even the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace, who slowed with an alleged issue on the final lap. 

England captain Ben Stokes will not take part in next year’s Indian Premier League after opting out of the upcoming auction.

Under tighter rules regarding player availability introduced this year, it means the 33-year-old will also be unavailable for the 2026 competition.

Fast bowler Jofra Archer is among the 52 Englishmen who have signed up for the auction, which will be held on 24 and 25 November.

Archer’s decision is interesting, given hopes he could return to Test cricket next summer.

Named the IPL’s most valuable player in 2020, the 29-year-old has made his comeback from a series of back and elbow injuries this year in white-ball cricket, but it is still hoped he could feature against India next summer and in the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia.

The 2025 IPL will also clash with the early rounds of the County Championship, potentially preventing Archer from proving his fitness in the longer format.

The IPL brought in a new rule this year that means overseas players signed by franchises who later pull out will be banned from the competition for two years.

The dates for the 2025 IPL have not been confirmed. This year it ran from 22 March to 26 May.

After the Champions Trophy concludes in early March, England do not play again until a four-day Test against Zimbabwe on 22 May.

A PREMIER LEAGUE chairman has admitted that he hopes to raise his club’s stadium capacity to 40,000.

Their current ground houses 29,673 supporters.

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Ahead of this season, the former FA Cup winners made some promising improvements.

They upgraded media facilities upon their return to the top flight.

While they introduced new VIP executive lounges.

Among their next goals is to significantly increase the stadium’s capacity.

Ipswich Town have been planning to redevelop the Cobbold Stand, which was built in the 1970s and houses away fans, as well as home supporters.

During an appearance on BBC Radio Suffolk, chairman Mark Ashton was asked about the Cobbold Stand by Town fans.

He said of the stand, which houses 750 season ticket holders as well as the away end: “It’s on the to-do list – it’s not the top of the to-do list, I must be honest with you.

“Why? Because I’m certainly not going to take a stand down in the midst of a Premier League season, that’s just not the right thing to do.”

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Ashton has instead thought of a solution that would prevent those 750 season ticket holders being left stranded during a redevelopment.

He added: “There’s a train of thought that says ‘no’, the next development there is the West Stand.

“Which sees an increase in capacity in the West Stand, of surprise, surprise, circa 4,000 people.

“So when you take down the Cobbold Stand people don’t lose their season tickets and they could move across.”

While the expansion of Portman Road is on the radar, Ipswich are instead prioritising making improvements to their Playford Road training facility.

They are set to submit a planning application for the training ground upgrades in the next fortnight.

On the pitch, Kieran McKenna‘s men are yet to win in 10 Premier League matches this season.

They have been competitive, however, collecting five draws thus far.

This weekend they will seek their first Prem win in more than 22 years when they take on McKenna’s former side Tottenham.

The contest will take place in North London on Sunday afternoon, with Spurs first travelling to Istanbul for a Europa League clash with Galatasaray.

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A bantamweight showdown between Ketlen Vieira and Macy Chiasson is back on for a yet-to-be-announced UFC card on Feb. 22, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting. Ag. Fight first reported the matchup.

The UFC has yet to confirm the location for the show and its headlining attraction.

Vieira vs. Chiasson was originally booked UFC Vegas 84 on Jan. 13 of this year, but Vieira was forced off the card due to a knee injury.

In the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, Chiasson currently holds the No. 4 position at 135 pounds, with Vieira one spot behind at No. 5.

Vieira (14-4) attempts to rebound from losing a decision to Kayla Harrison at October’s UFC 307 event in Salt Lake City. The Brazilian holds octagon wins over former UFC champions Holly Holm and Miesha Tate, plus one-time title challengers Cat Zingano and Sara McMann.

In two 2024 appearances, Chiasson (10-3) stopped Pannie Kianzad and Mayra Bueno Silva to improve to 7-3 since winning the 28th season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2018. Chiasson knocked out future PFL star Larissa Pacheco on the reality show, and has also beaten surging contender Norma Dumont at featherweight.

Damon Martin contributed to this report.

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