Entering 2025 season, NASCAR brought in many rules and regulations that add to the driver safety. One such rule stated in their handbook is: “Safety violation: A safety violation is any action or omission by a Competitor or Competitor’s vehicle that creates an unsafe environment or poses a threat to the safety of the Competitor or others, as determined in NASCAR’s sole discretion.”

Another rule that NASCAR amended back in 2020 was changing the wording of an in-race penalty to shorten the scope of focus. Then, motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports had tweeted, “NASCAR has changed wording of a rule that could result in an in-race penalty form “aggressive” driving to “reckless” driving … #nascar “

However, despite the league’s continuous efforts, seems like the changes are not turning into fruitful results. Back in 2022, in the South Point 400 in the Sin City, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson too got into a heated retaliation game entering Stage 2. Then, as Wallace tried to overtake Larson, the No. 5 stopped him by shoving into him. The latter quickly gained speed and moved ahead. Within a second, the 23XI Racing driver chased him and with a slight bump, shoved him into the infield. As a result, they both spin into the grass and then go across the asphalt and into the outside wall, failing to gain control. But the story did not end there.

Wallace quickly got off his car and went straight to Larson, showing his frustration with repeated shoves until the on-track officials separated the two. Consequently, Bubba Wallace had to miss the NASCAR Cup Series race as Bob Pockrass tweeted the details, “Bubba Wallace has been suspended for the Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the incident with Kyle Larson. It’s a one-race suspension; no fine nor points penalty.” However, the history repeated again.

In the Americas, Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 sent Austin Dillon’s No. 3 straight into the gravel on a turn 6A. The incident, however, not fatal, did concluded the race with Kyle Busch, who was leading the race, forcing him to lose his lead and ending his disappointing 60th loss at the fifth. Drama, action, and plenty of controversy, the Circuit of the Americas had it all. Needless to say, the things at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix kept the fans hooked! To add to it, one of the most notable incidents was a Lap 4 incident between Team Penske’s driver Austin Cindric and Richard Childress’ grandson Ty Dillon, prompting fans to urge NASCAR to take action.

Austin Cindric had a point to prove. The Team Penske driver’s hopes of winning the 2025 AmBetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway were derailed last week after Kyle Larson drove him into the outer wall at the 1.54-mile oval, forcing him to retire early. Determined to make amends this time around, the No. 2 Ford was desperate to make up grid positions at the start after qualifying in 36th place. However, what followed was an early confrontation with Ty Dillon in Lap 4.

Fighting for track positions, Ty Dillon was seen shoving Austin Cindric off the course during a turn, which resulted in both drivers trading paint. However, the move didn’t go down well with the Team Penske driver, who went on to right-rear hook the No. 10 Chevy, spinning out the Kaulig Racing driver. Infuriated at the move, Dillon was heard saying on the team radio, “I’m not gonna say anything but you know what I’m thinking. That was some absolute b——-.”

What followed was even more surprising, as the deliberate hook was completely ignored by NASCAR officials. Even though the sanctioning body has been heavily policing aggressive driving off late, there was no comment on Ty Dillon being spun wildly on the track. Reflecting on the incident, The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck couldn’t help but tweet, “Wow, both the replay and the Austin Cindric in-car do not look good. He got forced off the track by Ty Dillon and then appears to have right-rear hooked him. Nothing was said on the radio about it. That’s going to get reviewed this week for sure.”

Top Comment by Carolina Carl

Right rear hooks have gotten drivers Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott suspended recently, Cindric should face the same fate.

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Debate

While being shoved off the track was far from a pleasant feeling for Cindric, the 26-year-old was expected to have more composure despite being provoked. The season hasn’t begun on the best note for the Team Penske driver, who has finished 25th or higher in the last two races. The fixture at COTA was expected to be the turning point, as the driver has finished inside the top 10 on the road course in his last two appearances. However, if NASCAR does find him guilty in the post-race review, his 25th-place finish could get a lot worse.

NASCAR fans want Cindric to be held accountable

Unsurprisingly, NASCAR fans didn’t hesitate to share their thoughts on the Austin Cindric- Ty Dillon incident. Many felt that the move was ‘dangerous’ and were surprised by the sanctioning body’s lack of action following the Lap 4 spin. Reflecting on the Team Penske driver escaping the incident with no repercussions, a fan cynically wrote on X, “If NASCAR is consistent(which they never are), they will suspend him for next week.” Echoing that sentiment, another motorsports enthusiast questioned the sanctioning body’s apathy, going on to write, “That is supposed to result in a 1 race suspension isn’t it?” While the above-mentioned rules both say that the penalty will be set according to their observations, mostly, the drivers are either given fines in form of racing suspensions or point deductions, based on how the incident looked like.

Usually, NASCAR allows its drivers to regulate their actions unless they cross the line by a long way. Believing that the intentional nature of the right-rear hook demanded action from the sports’ hierarchy, an X user said, “No penalty to Cindric for rough driving? That looked extremely intentional.” Watching the video from Cindric’s view, we can see that his car is being pushed outwards. While the shove did not exactly change much on Cindric’s end, what he followed to do was what might get him in trouble. Since he is the one visibly thrusting against the No. 10’s right rear which ultimately caused it to turn. While racing is all about competing, should it sabotage safety of other drivers?

After the 2024 Cup Series campaign ended, the sanctioning body reiterated its commitment to driver safety, evolving its policies to curb aggressive racing in the sport. However, a fan wants the sport to put money where their mouth is by saying, “NASCAR better back up all that offseason talk with a suspension.”

Considering that Austin Cindric’s actions were a retaliation to being shoved outside the track, a fan felt that there was no need for a post-race ‘review’ to take place since the move was deliberate and needed to be policed. Urging the sport to hold all its drivers accountable equally, the X user couldn’t help but write, “Consistency from Nascar on this should mean he sits out next week. Not sure what there is to review, it’s quite obviously an intentional right-rear hook to the back of Ty’s car.” Austin will next try his luck on March 9th in the Shriners Children’s 500 on Phoenix Raceway. However, even one-race suspension can hurt him in the long run. But do you think Cindric will get a called?