"NASCAR knows about it" - Former driver reacts to Joe Gibbs' engineer allegedly leaking critical information to a rival team

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace recently reacted to the news of an engineer allegedly leaking important information to a rival team. A new scandal came out in NASCAR on October 14. It involves a Joe Gibbs Racing engineer who allegedly shared important information with another team that is not in the playoffs.

NASCAR has confirmed it knows about the allegations but no complaints have been filed yet.

In the latest episode of the "Coffee With Kenny podcast," Wallace talked about the situation and shared his views.

"Unless Joe Gibbs does something about it. It really don't mean a hill of beans. But here's what I find funny: NASCAR knows about it. So, I mean, is it? I don't think it's the same thing as, you know, Michigan spying on Ohio, right," Wallace said (03:22).

Wallace also mentioned that a former crew chief sold information for $500 and suggested that such actions were more common in earlier times. However, he pointed out that today’s competition is much tougher.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. Now, you got to remember, back in the 80s, there was about, 70s and 80s, there was about maybe six cars that could win...I watched him, and it was at Daytona, the, uh, right outside the old tunnel. Some money was exchanged. So, um, nowadays, you don't tell nobody nothing, because as we know, we have 18 winners right now," he added (01:26).

Kenny Wallace speculated that the rival team might have paid the engineer a significant amount for the information.

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Two Joe Gibbs drivers compete for championship amid engineer scandal

Founded by former NFL coach Joe Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing currently has two cars, the No. 11 Toyota Camry (Denny Hamlin) and the No. 20 Camry (Christopher Bell), competing for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Bell is second in the playoff standings with 4032 points (13 above the cutline) while Hamlin is in the cut zone and eight points behind fourth-place William Byron.

According to AP news, one of Joe Gibbs' engineers, who may have reportedly been unhappy in his current role, allegedly shared details like car setups and configurations that can affect how well a team performs. The engineer had reportedly been looking for job opportunities with other teams as the season ended.

"The engineer had been exploring options with other teams as the season draws to a close, multiple team officials told the AP on Sunday, confirming they discussed possible employment,” Jenna Fryer wrote.

Moreover, NASCAR reportedly knows about the issue but would not do anything unless a formal complaint is made.

The next race in the playoffs is the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 20.