Insider gets real on the ‘busiest day in NASCAR news cycle history’ amid JGR, Penske and 23XI bulletins
A lot happened in the world of NASCAR on Wednesday. So much so that renowned reporter and journalist Danielle Trotta called it “the busiest day in NASCAR news cycle history.”
For starters, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe won the appeal against the L2 penalty that the No. 19 team was slammed with at this year’s Daytona 500. Secondly, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric avoided getting suspended but was docked 50 playoff points and fined $50,000 for right-hooking Kaulig racing driver Ty Dillon last week during the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA.
The last big news was NASCAR counter-suing Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing, stating that the teams had violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act while attempting to “misuse the judicial system” (via Racer.com) to benefit themselves. On that note, Trotta took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and wrote,
“This might just be the busiest day in NASCAR news cycle history. Gibbs wins L2 penalty appeal. Cindric not suspended but fined 50 pts & 50K for RR hook. NASCAR files counter suit against 23XI FRM & speaks publicly thru attorneys on lawsuit for first time.”
NASCAR is still appealing the preliminary injunction granted to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports that allows them to compete as charter teams in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025. As per reports, what happens to the counter-allegation will be decided in December.
Meanwhile, NASCAR is also busy preparing for next week’s race, which will be held at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, March 9. Fans can watch the 312-lap event (named Shriners Children's 500) exclusively on Fox Sports 1 from 3:30 pm ET onwards or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Renowned NASCAR insider reacts to the sport falling prey to sudden attack by crypto scammer
Just days following this year’s Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), which was also the first road course race of the season, NASCAR’s social media accounts got hacked by a crypto scammer. Shockingly, even the NBA fell victim to the attack.
The hackers posted the following statement on Tuesday via a fake release:
"Introducing $NASCAR Token — the official digital asset of motorsports, built on Solana to enhance fan engagement, rewards, and exclusive experiences. Fast. Secure. The future of NASCAR."
NASCAR promptly deleted the post from its feed. But it had caught the attention of journalist Jeff Gluck by then. Gluck reacted to the news, saying,
“Tell me you’re joking.”
Later, he commented on his post:
“It was a NASCAR Crypto token on Solana. Hope it was a hack and not real.”
As of now, it’s not clear who was behind the attacks on NASCAR as well as the NBA. Whether it’s an individual or a group of cyber criminals also needs to be investigated.