In a highly unusual mid-season decision, Kaulig Racing dismissed spotter Joe White following the fallout from the William Byron NASCAR wreck controversy during last Sunday’s Las Vegas Cup race. The abrupt firing, which left White without a role ahead of the upcoming Talladega event, has cast a spotlight on communication breakdowns that can have dramatic impacts on a team’s trajectory and driver standings.
Wake of the Las Vegas Crash Triggers Immediate Changes
The decision to end Joe White’s stint as Ty Dillon’s spotter mid-season is a rare move in the NASCAR Cup Series. White, who had just arrived at Talladega’s infield to prepare for the next race, was called by Kaulig Racing CEO Chris Rice. During the call, White was informed that not only was he being replaced as Dillon’s spotter, but he was also no longer part of the Kaulig organization. With no driver to spot for, White left Talladega and returned to Charlotte to update his resume, officially becoming a free agent after losing both his current role and his anticipated assignment with Kaulig’s Truck Series team for the following year.
The sequence that led to this abrupt reshuffling unfolded late in the Las Vegas race with 32 laps to go. Playoff contender William Byron, representing Hendrick Motorsports, was running in second place and looking for a strong finish to improve his championship standing. Ty Dillon, several laps down and not on the regular pit sequence, began slowing his car significantly to enter pit road for servicing. Amid what is now described as a miscommunication between spotters, Dillon moved ahead of Byron, who was staying on track at full speed. Byron collided with the back of Dillon’s car, resulting in both drivers being forced out of the race.
The Fallout: Who Knew What and When?
The accident cost Byron a competitive result, dropping him to a 36th-place finish in Las Vegas and placing him 15 points below the crucial playoff cutoff line. This leaves Byron’s championship hopes in a precarious position with only two rounds—Talladega and Martinsville—remaining before the final four drivers are decided for the Phoenix Cup championship battle.
The collapse in communication after the crash quickly triggered shifting stories and finger-pointing. Initially, Ty Dillon claimed he extended his hand from his window net as a signal to William Byron that he was about to slow down and enter pit road. Dillon later revised his account, while Byron maintained he never observed any hand signal from Dillon. Rudy Fugle, Byron’s crew chief, joined the discussion, stating that no communication was made between White and Byron’s spotter, Brandon Lines, about Dillon’s pit intentions.
“I got fired. I got let go from my position,”
White told The Athletic.
“I’m disappointed but not surprised either, as I knew I wasn’t going back to spot that car next year anyway. [Chris Rice] called and said, ‘How are you doing?’ And I said I was great. And he goes, ‘We’re making a spotter change starting immediately.’”
– Joe White, now former Kaulig Racing spotter
Diverging Accounts from the Drivers and Spotters
As the dust settled, the controversy centered on whether proper notice had been given to all parties. Byron, reflecting on the incident, recalled having no warning at all about Dillon’s slowing vehicle.
“I didn’t see any indication that he was pitting,”
Byron said, according to The Athletic.
“It was probably 12 to 15 laps after we had pitted, so I thought the [pit] cycle was fully over. Nobody said anything to my spotter, from what I know. I had zero idea.”
– William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports driver
“Everyone has been wrapping the paint [around the lower groove] really far around the corner, and that’s what I was doing to have a good lap. I was watching him thinking, ‘OK, he missed the bottom a little bit here.’ He just started slowing, and I had no idea what was going on. I’m just devastated. I had no indication. Obviously, I wouldn’t have just driven full speed into the back of him like that.”
– William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports driver
Ty Dillon emphasized he depends on his spotter to communicate with other teams, especially in tight racing moments.
“Usually, I rely on the spotter to let everybody know, and my spotter said he let [Byron’s] spotter know,”
Dillon said. – Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing driver
“I don’t know if it’s a lack of information getting relayed, but that’s a quick amount of time for that to happen. I don’t think I did anything egregious getting on pit road. I hate it for them and hate that it took him out. He was lining up to have a really good day, but I don’t know who that is on or if I could do much different there.”
– Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing driver
Joe White Stands by His Actions
Joe White insisted he took necessary steps to inform others of Dillon’s intentions, despite the outcome. He described actively seeking out Byron’s spotter in the seconds before the wreck.
“Brandon [Lines] is at the other end of the spotter stand towards Turn 1, so I was like, ‘I got to get to Brandon,’”
White told The Athletic. – Joe White, now former Kaulig Racing spotter
“So I hustled down there. I didn’t get to him; I didn’t touch him on the shoulder, turn him around, but I got, I would say, four or five feet from him, couple people down, and he turned and looked at me.”
– Joe White, now former Kaulig Racing spotter
“We made eye contact. I pointed to the bottom, twice, and mouthed the words ‘we’re pitting’—even though I know he can’t hear and he probably can’t read my lips, but I gestured just like I would to any other person that we’re pitting. Obviously, that was misunderstood. He thought we were giving him the bottom, and that was not the case.”
– Joe White, now former Kaulig Racing spotter
Team Leaders Emphasize Communication Breakdown
Rudy Fugle continued to highlight communication as the root problem, referencing how Byron’s spotter failed to pass along timely information, despite the spotter’s vantage point and duties.
“Our spotter didn’t get clear communication and definitely didn’t get that early enough,”
Fugle said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. – Rudy Fugle, Hendrick Motorsports Crew Chief
The apparent disconnect left all involved, including key figures at Hendrick Motorsports and Kaulig Racing, frustrated and focused on addressing these vulnerabilities moving forward.
The Broader Implications for Championship Hopefuls and Teams
The William Byron NASCAR wreck controversy not only altered Byron’s trajectory in the championship chase but also brought heightened scrutiny to the role of spotters across the Cup Series. The misstep now weighs heavily on both organizations as they prepare for the Talladega and Martinsville races, where communication will be even more crucial amid the high stakes.
For Joe White, who now finds himself seeking new opportunities, the incident underscores the precarious nature of support roles in racing and the swift consequences that can follow a single error or misunderstanding on the track. Meanwhile, Byron, Dillon, Fugle, and the broader NASCAR community will be watching closely to see what adjustments are made to restore trust and clarity in spotter communications during the remainder of the season’s most decisive moments.
Just to be clear, here is the story of what happened last Sunday. I did in fact go down and tell the spotter of the 24 that we were pitting, and he misinterpreted the information. That’s what happened. https://t.co/af49xudlAO
— Joe White (@White_Joe47) October 16, 2025
Joe White, Ty Dillon’s former spotter, spoke to @TheAthletic about the Las Vegas crash that took out William Byron at Las Vegas and learning yesterday he had been fired as Dillon’s spotter.https://t.co/6BOSY7SLk6
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) October 16, 2025
