NASCAR OEMs have expressed support for new rules allowing penalties against manufacturer partners. The changes come in response to race manipulation incidents at Martinsville Speedway in October 2024.

The new regulations primarily target "violation of the performance obligation," which prohibits improper influence on race outcomes. This includes intentionally prioritizing objectives other than achieving the best competitive result for individual teams.

Key points about the new rules:

• They won't affect manufacturer alliances at superspeedways like Daytona
• Focus will be on preventing race manipulation at other tracks
• Rules were created after Chevrolet and Toyota teams were penalized for helping manufacturer championship contenders at Martinsville

Manufacturer representatives have acknowledged their understanding:

• Tyler Gibbs (Toyota Racing Development): "We are aligned in what those expectations are"
• Mark Rushbrook (Ford Performance): "We understand the principles"
• Eric Warren (GM): Emphasized the need for guardrails while recognizing speedway racing's unique requirements

Previously, NASCAR could only penalize teams and drivers, not manufacturers. The most recent team penalty before Martinsville was in 2022 at the Charlotte Roval race, involving Cole Custer's interference with other drivers to benefit his teammate.

The new rules maintain flexibility for superspeedway racing, where drafting and teamwork remain essential elements of competition, while establishing clear boundaries for manufacturer influence in other racing scenarios.

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