Kaulig fires Ty Dillon's spotter after Las Vegas crash with Byron

Kaulig Racing dismissed Ty Dillon's spotter Joe White on Wednesday, the team confirmed, a move coming days after a Las Vegas Motor Speedway collision last weekend between Dillon and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron that eliminated both cars from the race. White announced his firing in a social media post while en route to Talladega Superspeedway, where the Cup Series will race Sunday.

The incident occurred with 32 laps remaining in the Las Vegas race when Dillon slowed to enter pit road and Byron, running second, struck the rear of Dillon's car. The impact produced heavy damage to both cars and ended their days; Byron was classified 36th and Dillon 37th. The crash significantly affected Byron's championship prospects. Byron, who won the regular-season points title, is 15 points below the cutline for the Championship 4 with two races remaining in the semifinals round.

Accounts differ on how the miscommunication unfolded. Byron said after the race that he saw no indication Dillon intended to pit and that his spotter had received no warning. Dillon said his spotter, White, had communicated the pit call to Byron's spotter. White said he attempted to get the attention of...