Sawalich, Day feud under NASCAR review after Gateway retaliation
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 16, 2026
Sawalich retaliation review
William Sawalich turned Corey Day into the inside SAFER barrier at World Wide Technology Raceway, and NASCAR was expected to review whether the move was intentional. The incident followed a heated Chase opener at Darlington, where Day and Sawalich traded contact and Sawalich crashed out in 30th place while Day finished second. Day said Sawalich warned him after Darlington that he would “see how the rest of his Chase went.” The next race brought the response. Sawalich sent Day into the barrier, and the crash carried a heavier cost in the standings. Day finished 33rd and dropped from fifth to eighth. Sawalich finished 16th. Justin Allgaier was also caught in the incident and lost the points lead to Sheldon Creed by three points. NASCAR had not announced a penalty, and officials were expected to review SMT data, video and radio before deciding whether to act.
Earnhardt defense
Dale Earnhardt Jr. backed hard racing during the playoffs on his Dirty Air podcast and said non-Chase drivers such as Sawalich had every right to race aggressively. Earnhardt pushed back against the idea that title contenders should get a softer line from the rest of the field. He said Chase drivers should not receive different treatment and may need to give non-Chase drivers more room. His view fit the tone of a feud that has already produced contact twice in the Chase. Earnhardt did not treat the issue as a special case for playoff drivers. He framed it as part of the normal give-and-take of racing, where drivers outside the title fight still have the right to battle for track position and expect the same space everyone else gets.
Hamlin response
Denny Hamlin took the same general stance and said NASCAR should stay out of the feud. He said the garage has long been self-policing, and he said he had no bias toward Sawalich because of his Joe Gibbs Racing ties. Hamlin also said Day lacked awareness of his role in the feud. He then sharpened his view of the crash with a blunt line about Sawalich, saying he “got himself wrecked for being an idiot.” Sawalich did not publicly address Day’s claim after the Gateway race and declined further media questions. That left NASCAR to sort through the incident on its own while the playoff picture shifted around it. The sequence left the incident with both a competitive and disciplinary edge, with the on-track retaliation the main focus while officials were expected to review the available evidence.
