NASCAR Bans Dangerous 'GameCube' Wall-Ride Maneuver Despite Ross Chastain's Use Being The Sport's Most Viral Moment In Years

This week, some are saying NASCAR is sucking all the fun out of watching cars turn left for two hours by banning the so-called "GameCube Maneuver," a dangerous stunt that helped Ross Chastain surge into playoff contention on the final turn of October's Xfinity 500.

On October 31st last year, Chastain needed a top-5 finish to enter championship contention. Sitting in tenth on the final turn, Chastain essentially said "screw it," put his car flush with the wall, took his hands off the steering wheel and floored it. Miraculously, the move shot him into 5th place and he didn't explode in a 40-car pileup.

.NASCAR</a> has banned the viral wall-ride move that <a href="https://twitter.com/RossChastain?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">RossChastain pulled off at Martinsville last fall to vault himself into the sport's championship race.🔲 The move turned into the most viral moment in recent NASCAR history and became the No. 1 top play on @SportsCenter. pic.twitter.com/PJslBscRNQ

— Adam Stern (@A_S12) January 31, 2023

Afterward, Chastain said he remembered the ridiculous stunt worked on NASCAR 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube, which he played when he was just 8 years old.

At the time, many noted that it is a dangerous and inconsistent strategy. If the car hit the wall the wrong way, it could careen onto the track and cause a terrible crash. It also has no guarantee of working, as other drivers have attempted similar maneuvers and actually lost speed.

Chastain's successful application of the "GameCube Wall Ride" helped him and the sport as a whole go viral, but NASCAR definitely does not want anyone else trying it.

The wall ride is now considered a violation of rule 10.5.2.6.A, which encompasses "any violations deemed to compromise the safety of an Event," and drivers who attempt it will be penalized with a time or lap penalty.

"Basically if there’s an act that we feel that compromises the safety of our competitors, officials, spectators, we’re going to take that seriously," Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s chief competition executive, said in an interview following the ban. "And we will penalize for that act going forward."

NASCAR: bans thisalso NASCAR: will use this in every commercial and promo this year pic.twitter.com/UHAiNo3fbA

— DennyDeliversYT 📦 (@DennyDelivers) January 31, 2023

The rule change makes sense, considering that Chastain's video game stunt could have easily endangered the safety of his fellow competitors, but it does ensure that a remarkable moment that drew interest to NASCAR from people who otherwise wouldn't care won't happen again.

Perhaps NASCAR should consider how to safely implement bananas and blue shells.