How an XFINITY Ruling Could Determine the Cup Champion

It’s possible that a NASCAR XFINITY Series penalty from Dover International Speedway has set a precedent that could have Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship ramifications at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

It was announced following the Dover XFINITY Dash4Cash event that race winner Justin Allgaier was penalized for a truck trailing arm violation.

It was stated by multiple NASCAR personalities after the penalty was announced that the violation likely was a direct result of Allgaier slamming into the turn four wall on the last lap. This is where things get interesting.

Imagine a scenario where the two leading MENCS contenders in the points come out of turn four at Homestead door-to-door. What were to happen if those two drivers made serious contact down the front-stretch causing severe damage to both vehicles but they still cross the line first and second? What if the contact caused both cars to incur that same issue that Allgaier had at Dover? The scenario isn’t likely but I’m working in the “what if” scenario here.

Just imagine two drivers battling for the title slam into each other and crash across the finish line at Homestead. One driver has a torn up and battered race car in Victory Lane celebrating not only a win but a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship. The fans are ecstatic about the electrifying finish and NASCAR is the talk of the town in the sports world.

But then…..

Imagine that a couple of days following the season finale race NASCAR deems both the winner and presumed champion, and second place to be in violation of that same rule that got Allgaier way back in May. They have set a precedent with the Allgaier penalty that would likely cause them to name the driver that would have finished third in the standings as the 2018 NASCAR Champion. There would be no fanfare or recognition of that driver at Homestead. He likely would have been interviewed and talked about what a great season it was and how he was looking forward to 2019. Then, all of a sudden, due to cars not meeting spec, he’s crowned 2018 MENCS Champion from his couch.

I’m sure such a scenario would cause even diehard fans to be confused and casual fans to not have the first clue what was going on. Listen, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none and slim is most of the way out the door. But the fact remains that it “could” happen and if it did how exactly would NASCAR handle the situation? Because, in an Xfinity race at Dover in May, it caused an L1 infraction and loss of 25 driver and owner points for Justin Allgaier. NASCAR very likely would have to be consistent now that they’ve set that precedent. Otherwise, they could open themselves up to some litigious matters from someone who came out on the wrong end of a ruling.

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