NASCAR has a buzzy slogan for the third-round finale of its Cup Series playoffs. With half of the remaining eight drivers desperate for a victory to reach the Championship 4 finale, Sunday is “Must-Win at Martinsville Speedway!” That certainly has a better ring to it than “Manipulation at Martinsville!” or “Martinsville’s Massive Scandal!” Those were the headlines written about what transpired last November at the 0.526-mile oval in southwest Virginia. A coordinated effort between multiple teams and manufacturers to engineer the results erupted in a controversial finish to the third-round finale . Officials took nearly 30 minutes to sort out that William Byron would advance over Christopher Bell to race for the title in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. NASCAR issued a record $600,000

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