Calls Mount For Team Penske Star’s Suspension After Intentionally Wrecking Richard Childress’ Grandson

Drama, action, and plenty of controversy—the Circuit of the Americas had it all. “We are four laps in and payback has already begun,” @NASCARonFOX posted on X just minutes into Sunday’s 95-lap contest (EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix) at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). For starters, 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.

Fighting for track positions outside of the top-25, Ty Dillon was seen pushing Austin Cindric extremely wide, off the course on the exit of turn 20, which resulted in both drivers trading paint. The result was that Cindric had absolutely no room to find his way back to the racing surface before the run-off area turned into grass. However, the move didn’t go down well with the Team Penske driver. As soon as Cindric found some room to latch back on the racing track, he went on to right-rear hook the No. 10 Chevy, spinning out the Kaulig Racing driver. Dillon was mad and 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. The damage to the cars was not that extensive that’d have forced both to retire from the race. They went on as routine with Cindric and Dillon finishing 25th and 28th respectively. 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.” Yep, that’s what happened.

“Yeah, unfortunately that happened early on in the race, so there was not a caution at that point for it,” Brad Moran, Managing Director of the NASCAR Cup Series told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday. “But, we are going to go back, and that’s on our list today, so we’ll have a look at that and see if there was something there that we do not like, and if there is we’ll have to deal with it.” Now, if history is anything to go by, let’s predict how this is going to look like.

At Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2023, Chase Elliott had turned Denny Hamlin after the left front of the car was used to contact the other driver’s right rear—a hook that would ultimately lead the latter to turn and hit the outside wall at a high speed. If we trace similar incidents even further back, we can take a page from what happened in Las Vegas between 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace for wrecking Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson in Stage 2. Wallace tried to overtake Larson which the No. 5 stopped him by shoving into him before quickly gaining speed and moving 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. What’s the common aspect in both these cases?

Both these cases saw NASCAR officiating a one-race suspension, although it’s going to be interesting to see how the governing body approach this considering the speed and low severity of the incident. So, when could the report be due?

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

Usually, it’s on the Tuesday of every week that NASCAR releases its weekly penalty report (technical or competition-based). With Moran confirming as of Tuesday that they’ll be looking into the matter, it’s only a matter of time before a final ruling gets announced.

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?