NASCAR Investigates Trackhouse Racing’s Grass Incident at WWT Raceway

Madison, Illinois — After the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday, Trackhouse Racing drivers Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen drew attention for driving through the grass during the cool down lap. The unusual behavior raised questions about their intent as they headed toward the pit lane.

Chastain and van Gisbergen both intentionally veered off the track and into the grass. Drivers and fans speculated they may have been frustrated after finishing in 24th and 25th positions, respectively. However, Corey LaJoie provided a different explanation. He claimed that the racers were attempting to collect debris to increase the weight of their cars for post-race inspection.

“They post all the Playoff cars [in inspection],” LaJoie said via social media. “Trying to pick up a couple pounds of grass, rocks, rubber to let your car chief feel a little better when you roll across the scale.” This tactic reflects the importance of meeting minimum weight limits in NASCAR, evidenced by previous disqualifications like Alex Bowman’s last season.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr also mentioned incidents of cars running into the wall post-race, indicating a chaotic atmosphere. “Got some running into the wall and destroying the RS as well,” Stenhouse stated on social media.

NASCAR officials took note of the grass incident and announced plans to meet with Trackhouse Racing’s management and crew chiefs. “We’ll have some discussions with Trackhouse in management as well as their crew chiefs,” NASCAR’s Managing Director Brad Moran said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “It certainly caught our radar,” adding that the rules surrounding incidents like this would be reinforced ahead of the Bristol race.

The incident concluded without punishment for the Trackhouse team, though all teams will be reminded of the rules related to post-race inspection violations. With both Chastain and van Gisbergen participating in the playoffs, maintaining compliance is crucial.