Since the All-Star Race last weekend, colorful fireworks have begun bursting at NASCAR race tracks. Richard Childress‘ driver, Kyle Busch, intentionally spun and wrecked Ricky Stenhouse Jr and received his fist in response. NASCAR let off Busch and slapped a heavy fine on Stenhouse. However, after the racing community bashed this decision, officials adopted a different approach for Austin Hill at the Charlotte Xfinity race.

When RCR driver Austin Hill and SHR driver Cole Custer clashed, sparks kept flying. Custer grazed against Hill, costing the latter a flat tire. But akin to his RCR Cup colleague, Hill took revenge. He rammed and continued ramming into Custer’s car until it spun out, smoking. But unlike Busch, Hill did not get away with this.

NASCAR comes down heavily on Austin Hill

Throughout the 2024 season, Austin Hill has been a beacon of light for Richard Childress. With four top-five finishes and two back-to-back wins, the No. 21 driver is a true talent. Yet his flaring tempers exist alongside. After he intentionally wrecked Custer at the Bet MGM 300 race, NASCAR released its punitive measures. Jeff Gluck updated the punishment on X. “Austin Hill docked 25 points and fined $25k for the Cole Custer incident on Saturday.”

This fallout cost Austin Hill’s season progress significantly. Whereas earlier he stood at rank 1 with 454 points, now Richard Childress’ driver is trailing behind his race rival, Cole Custer. Bob Pockrass explained the situation on X: “With the 25-point penalty, Austin Hill goes from being four points ahead of Chandler Smith and 21 points ahead of Cole Custer in the Xfinity standings to 21 points behind Smith for the lead and four points behind Custer for second.”

Hill’s penalty corresponds with Section 4.4B in the NASCAR Rule Book. The section deals with NASCAR’s code of conduct with the following penalty guidelines. “Wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from Competition as a result. Any actions deemed to compromise the safety of an Event or otherwise pose a dangerous risk to the safety of Competitors, Officials, spectators, or others.”

This penalty falls in line with the overall NASCAR community’s demand. Dale Earnhardt Jr and fans had rallied for a strict punishment for Hill, and the executives paid heed, unlike the All-Star Race controversy.