NASCAR bans unsafe wall-riding maneuver inspired by videogames

In October of last year, NASCAR driver Ross Chastain secured a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series championship race with a stunt inspired by NASCAR 2005 on GameCube.

In the final moments of his final race, Chastain had to make a move to secure a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chastain used wall-riding to grind into a position high enough to progress to championships. It’s undoubtedly a move that many of us have used in all sorts of racing games, but in this case it paid off in real life.

When Chastain was interviewed about his incredible maneuver, he was quick to attribute the idea to NASCAR 2005 on GameCube. Apparently, it’s a move he’s done multiple times in this game to secure the win, and now we’ve seen it translate to real life. Who said video games weren’t realistic?!

Now, months away from that event, NASCAR has stepped in to let racers know they will no longer tolerate this tactic. NASCAR said any violations deemed dangerous to competitors, officials, spectators or others will result in penalties and more. As you might guess, the wall-ride maneuver is specifically cited as an example of a dangerous tactic that will not be allowed in the future.