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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR said a review of data and team communications showed that Stewart-Haas Racing manipulated the results of the playoff elimination race at Charlotte, an infraction that drew an additional $200,000 in fines on Tuesday.

“Nothing contradicted that that was done deliberately,” NASCAR senior vice president of competition Scott Miller said of Cole Custer slowing on the backstretch of the final lap to help teammate Chase Briscoe gain the positions needed to advance into the next round of the playoffs.

The new penalties brings SHR’s monetary fines to $300,000 over the last week; Kevin Harvick, one of the most outspoken drivers about safety concerns with NASCAR’s new Next Gen car, was penalized along with his crew chief when his Ford failed a post-Talladega inspection.

On Sunday, Custer appeared to deliberately hold up a line of traffic on Charlotte’s road course as teammate Briscoe stormed past in a desperate effort to move into the third round of the playoffs. Briscoe finished ninth, good enough to bump reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson from the playoffs as the field was trimmed from 12 drivers to eight.

Briscoe earned the eighth and final spot in the next round of the playoffs by two points over Larson.

NASCAR said after Sunday’s race it was reviewing Custer’s contact on the final lap. The penalties levied were a $100,000 fine for Custer and loss of 50 driver points, as well as 50 owner points for SHR. Crew chief Mike Shiplett was also fined $100,000 and suspended indefinitely.

Miller said NASCAR heard Shiplett tell Custer over the radio “‘I think you’ve got a flat. Checkup, checkup’ when he couldn’t see the car to tell if it had a flat.

“Blatantly pulling over and changing the finishing order on the last lap is what makes it over the top,” Miller continued, “especially with the instructions from the pit box.”

SHR was already appealing Harvick’s penalties and said Tuesday it would appeal the latest penalties against Custer’s team.

Miller said the penalty against Custer’s team would have been even stiffer if NASCAR didn’t believe Briscoe had earned his spot in the round of eight. NASCAR considered suspending Custer, who is the son of SHR’s co-president Joe Custer, but Miller said it didn’t because “super flagrant things that eliminated other competitors” are what warrants suspension.

NASCAR also did not consider removing Briscoe from the playoff field, which is down to eight drivers as NASCAR heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR found no data or communication that indicated Briscoe or the No. 14 team was aware Custer was assisting Briscoe’s advancement.

NASCAR cut Miller’s availability on the topic at just under 11 minutes, and Miller was not asked if NASCAR considered adding Larson back into the playoff field as a ninth driver.

The precedent for all this dates to a 2013 race manipulation scandal by Michael Waltrip Racing in the final regular-season race. Clint Bowyer was instructed over his radio to itch his arm, and Bowyer’s car spun to set in motion a sequence of events in which Ryan Newman did not win the race to earn an automatic playoff berth, and Bowyer teammate Martin Truex Jr. got the final playoff position.

NASCAR ultimately removed Truex from the playoff field in favor of Newman, who was closing in on the victory before the bogus spin by Bowyer. But further NASCAR investigations found manipulation by other teams, as well, and Jeff Gordon was ultimately added to what was then a 12-driver playoff field as an unprecedented 13th driver.

NASCAR also at the time declared a “100%” rule in which all teams were mandated to fully compete or risk serious fines. Tuesday marked the first time the rule has been enforced.

Briscoe heads to Las Vegas ranked eighth in the standings with three races to set the championship four.

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Reds place 3B Marte on IL due to oblique injury

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Reds place 3B Marte on IL due to oblique injury

ATLANTA — The Cincinnati Reds placed third baseman Noelvi Marte on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain Wednesday.

Marte was scratched minutes before the first pitch of the Atlanta Braves‘ 2-1 win over the Reds in 10 innings Tuesday night. He was reported to have left side discomfort, and the oblique injury was disclosed Wednesday.

Marte is hitting .294 with three homers, 17 RBIs and four stolen bases.

The Reds placed another third baseman, Jeimer Candelario, on the injured list on April 30 with a lumbar spine strain. Santiago Espinal was the fill-in starter for Marte on Tuesday night.

The Reds recalled outfielder Rece Hinds from Triple-A Louisville before Wednesday night’s game against the Braves.

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Brewers’ Contreras playing with fractured finger

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Brewers' Contreras playing with fractured finger

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras intends to continue playing through a fractured finger that the team believes he first suffered last season.

An X-ray revealed the fracture on his left middle finger, his catching hand, which had grown so painful the team ordered the scan.

Contreras plans to play with a splint on the finger while catching and hitting, according to MLB.com.

Coming off his second All-Star season, Contreras is batting .242 with three home runs and 19 RBIs in 35 games. Contreras hit .281 last year and .289 in 2023. The pain is worse when he’s batting, according to MLB.com.

Contreras, 27, was not in the lineup for Wednesday’s matinee against the Houston Astros, getting the day off after catching the previous two games of the series.

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Astros optimistic on Alvarez as MRI shows strain

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Astros optimistic on Alvarez as MRI shows strain

MILWAUKEE — Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a strained muscle at the top of his right hand, a diagnosis that instills optimism he won’t have a prolonged stay on the injured list.

The three-time All-Star went on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Saturday, and returned to Houston for an MRI that revealed the muscle strain.

“We look at it as good news,” Astros manager Joe Espada said before their Wednesday afternoon game with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Espada expressed hope that Alvarez wouldn’t have to stay on the injured list longer than the required 10 days. He also said the hand issue may have played a role in Alvarez’s slow start.

Alvarez, 27, is hitting .210 with a .306 on-base percentage, three homers and 18 RBI in 29 games this season. He batted .308 with a .392 on-base percentage, 35 homers and 86 RBI in 147 games last year while ranking ninth in the AL Most Valuable Player balloting.

He has posted an OPS of at least .959 and has finished 13th or higher in the MVP voting each of the last three seasons.

“Once he heals, once he gets back, I think we’ll see a more aggressive at bat and be not as cautious,” Espada said. “I think it had something to do with it, yes.”

His potential return could go a long way toward boosting an Astros lineup that hasn’t been as productive as usual this season. The Astros entered Wednesday’s action ranked 21st in the majors in runs (136) and 23rd in OPS (.676). Houston has ranked 11th or better in both those categories each of the last four seasons.

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