“`html
AVONDALE, Ariz. — As NASCAR embarks on its championship weekend, it finds itself embroiled in an antitrust lawsuit filed by NBA legend Michael Jordan. Recent months have seen increased scrutiny regarding officiating, culminating in significant fines issued this week for alleged race manipulation during the final playoff qualifier.

A noteworthy incident involves Truck Series championship contender Ty Majeski, who faced a $12,500 fine for missing mandatory media appearances in North Carolina, choosing instead to vote in person in his home state of Wisconsin.

Aside from these controversies, NASCAR is prepared to crown three champions starting Friday at Phoenix Raceway. Yet, much of the focus has shifted away from the races themselves to the ongoing off-track drama that has surrounded the organization. Four drivers will compete in Sunday’s decisive race, attempting to block out these distractions. Among them is Tyler Reddick, who is making his debut in the final four and aiming to secure Jordan’s first championship since he entered ownership in 2021.

“No, for me, and for our group, it is championship weekend and everything else is not in our focus,” Reddick stated in an interview on Thursday.

A ruling from a federal judge in North Carolina is anticipated on Friday, coinciding with the Truck Series championship and the first practice for the Cup Series. This ruling concerns a preliminary injunction sought by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, which refused to accept NASCAR’s new revenue-sharing agreement presented in September and has since initiated legal action against NASCAR and chairman Jim France.

The two teams are seeking recognition under the charter agreements while asserting their lawsuit claims that NASCAR behaves like “monopolistic bullies.” The judge’s decision will also arrive on the same day NASCAR plans to deliver its annual “State of the Sport” address.

Ryan Blaney, the defending NASCAR champion, is focused on becoming the first driver to clinch back-to-back titles since Jimmie Johnson’s five consecutive championships from 2006 to 2010. He noted that the off-track troubles have no bearing on him or Team Penske. With himself and teammate Joey Logano in contention, they offer Ford and Roger Penske a 50% likelihood of capturing a third consecutively.

“For me, it feels normal because I am not a part of any of it,” Blaney said. “I am part of what I am doing, the championship, so it’s nice to not be a part of any of the things going on outside sheer competition. For me, it’s a great week, championship week, and we’ve got a chance to do it. To me, it’s normal.”

NBC Sports believes that the ongoing off-track litigation is unlikely to affect the coverage of the three national series races in Phoenix.

“I think during the race, we are here to crown a champion, and I can’t imagine us discussing anything other than that,” remarked analyst Jeff Burton, suggesting that play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey will not feel compelled to mention the lawsuit when acknowledging Reddick’s potential victory.

Additional issues loom large, however. On Tuesday, NASCAR imposed $600,000 in fines and suspended nine members from three different Cup teams due to alleged manipulation during a recent race at Martinsville Speedway. Bubba Wallace, a driver for 23XI, was accused of faking a flat tire to help fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell, who subsequently secured the last playoff spot by hitting the wall.

After a disputed ruling in 2022 regarding a similar action by Ross Chastain, NASCAR took almost 30 minutes post-race to determine Bell’s results, ultimately disqualifying him and awarding the spot to William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports.

“It was excruciating,” Byron reflected on the long wait for a decision. “I was honestly numb to it. I was just preparing for not being in and thinking we had done all we needed to do to get in.”

Further, NASCAR’s officials determined that other Chevrolet competitors, including Chastain and Austin Dillon, acted to block competitors who posed a threat to Byron in the final laps. While Trackhouse Racing and Richard Childress Racing have appealed these penalties, 23XI has opted to withdraw its appeal while denying any intent to manipulate the race on behalf of Bell. Decisions on pending appeals may come late Thursday.

Moreover, NASCAR’s officiating as a whole has faced criticism. Throughout the playoffs, there has been considerable inconsistency regarding its damaged vehicle policy, particularly evident during the playoff race held at Talladega Superspeedway.

Initial confusion around the DVP rule arose when Blaney and Josh Berry encountered incidents on the first lap. Despite minimal damage, the previous enforcement of the rule led officials to eliminate both drivers from the race. However, Talladega presented a chaotic scenario, with a major crash leaving many damaged cars stranded while playoff contenders Chase Elliott and Briscoe were allowed back to their stalls for repairs.

Under the prior rule, these cars would have been disqualified from the race due to having four flat tires. This flip-flop in officiating had drivers expressing their frustrations, prompting NASCAR to announce that it would abide by the Talladega ruling for the rest of the playoffs.

“The DVP policy could spill into the live event,” NBC analyst Steve Letarte commented. “So when it affects on-track clearly to us, we have to cover that, that’s our job. But there’s no chance I’m going to pull an off-track story and connect it to an on-track performance. I think it’s a slap in the face to whatever team wins the championship trophy.”
“`