NASCAR’s latest penalty report offered no punishment for William Sawalich after his Gateway clash with Corey Day that sent the Chase contender into the wall. Yet the series has not ignored the growing tension between the two drivers. Instead of handing out a fine or points penalty, NASCAR is bringing Sawalich and Day together in the O’Reilly hauler this weekend, with Brad Moran explaining why officials chose conversation over further disciplinary action.

“It seems like those two have quite a history going in a rivalry. So the way the incident was viewed is that it was a door-to-door contact,” Brad Moran, NASCAR’s Cup Series managing director, explained the no-penalty decision on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio podcast, pointing to the history between the two drivers while insisting the contact itself was viewed differently by officials.

Moran explained that Sawalich and Day had been racing closely for roughly a lap before the incident. According to NASCAR’s assessment, at Gateway, the two drivers were battling for fifth when Day was pushed from behind by Justin Allgaier entering Turn 1.

The contact sent Day’s No. 17 Chevrolet up the track and into the left-side door of Sawalich’s car. NASCAR’s assessment focused on that initial contact, which involved Sawalich’s nose before his car was turned toward the inside wall. That sequence ultimately shaped the sanctioning body’s decision that the incident did not warrant a penalty.

However, the incident immediately drew criticism from inside the NASCAR garage. Allgaier, who was directly involved in the initial chain reaction, made his feelings clear over the radio after watching the No. 18 retaliate.

“Just disappointed to get caught up in someone else’s mess; that’s obviously retaliation from what happened last week,” Allgaier stated.

Jamie McMurray offered another criticism, focusing on the fact that Sawalich’s retaliation ultimately damaged his own race as well.

“I understand he’s mad. But, he’s essentially ruined his own race by retaliating on the No. 17,” McMurray said from the broadcast booth. Freddie Kraft shared similar sentiments.

“The thing that really drives me crazy about this is Sawalich ruins his own day. You know what I mean? You wrecked a guy. But now you just ruin your own night,” he said on the Door Bumper Clear podcast.

The Gateway incident, however, did not happen in a vacuum. Sawalich and Day had already crossed paths multiple times during the 2026 season, including incidents at Daytona International Speedway and Circuit of The Americas. Their rivalry then intensified at Darlington Raceway one week before Gateway. On Lap 68, Day contacted Sawalich’s rear bumper, sending the No. 18 Toyota into the outside wall and ending Sawalich’s race in 30th.

The aftermath at Darlington made the next week’s confrontation even more difficult to separate from the previous incident. Sawalich approached Day after the race, and the two had a lengthy conversation. Day later claimed that Sawalich threatened to wreck him and told him, “We’ll see how the rest of your Chase goes.”

That statement took on another meaning when the two found each other again at Gateway. That sequence of events during the incident, specifically Sawalich turning hard to the left deliberately, explains why many expected NASCAR to intervene.

There was also a recent precedent for NASCAR punishing a driver after an intentional on-track incident. Earlier this season, Ryan Preece received a $50,000 fine and a 25-point penalty after NASCAR determined his actions against Ty Gibbs violated the series’ rules. At Texas, Preece had rammed into Gibbs after he was heard on the radio saying, “All right, when I get to that 54 [Ty], I’m done with him.”

That comparison naturally raised questions about whether Sawalich would face similar consequences. Instead, NASCAR has chosen a different route. “We didn’t feel it warranted a penalty,” Moran said.

The sanctioning body will nevertheless put the two drivers in the same room. Moran confirmed that Sawalich and Day will be in the O’Reilly hauler this weekend with Elton and Eric Peterson and their respective directors, where NASCAR expects them to address the situation directly.

“I’m sure they’ll have some conversations and get that one straightened out,” Moran added.

So while the penalty report closed the official chapter on Gateway, NASCAR is not treating the Sawalich-Day rivalry as finished. With their history stretching from Daytona and COTA to Darlington and Gateway, officials now appear intent on making sure the feud does not escalate further as the Chase continues.