NASCAR's three OEM partners have expressed support for new rules allowing penalties against manufacturers, following race manipulation incidents at Martinsville Speedway last October.

The rules specifically target "violation of the performance obligation," which prohibits improper influence on race outcomes. This includes intentional planning or conduct that prioritizes objectives over competitive racing results.

Key points about the new rules:

• They won't affect Daytona 500 racing, where manufacturer alliances and drafting remain acceptable
• The rules address incidents like Chevrolet drivers blocking for William Byron and Bubba Wallace yielding position to Christopher Bell
• Previously, NASCAR could only penalize teams and drivers, not manufacturers

Manufacturer responses:

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

The rules emerged after controversial events at Martinsville that delayed Championship 4 determinations by 30 minutes and led to penalties for teams and drivers. This marks the first time NASCAR can directly penalize manufacturers for race manipulation, with the last team penalty for similar conduct occurring at the 2022 Charlotte Roval race.

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