“This is a really simple call and I feel like they missed it bad here.” Kevin Harvick’s words sum up the sentiment towards the chaos in COTA. During the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix race, Ty Dillon incurred Austin Cindric’s wrath by pushing him four-wide. Then the Team Penske star replied by aggressively delivering a right-rear hook to the No. 10 Chevrolet. Despite the retaliatory intent, NASCAR left people dumbfounded by letting off Cindric with just a fine and a points redux.

People questioned NASCAR’s reluctance to impose a hefty punishment given two similar incidents. Even Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota spotter, Freddie Kraft, was among those shocked. And Kraft hounded the officials for their lack of clarity.

Where exactly did Austin Cindric toe the line?

In 2022, Bubba Wallace hit Kyle Larson in the right rear quarter panel at Las Vegas, landing a one-race suspension. In 2023, Chase Elliott landed the same penalty after right-rear hooking Denny Hamlin in Charlotte. In 2025, Austin Cindric delivered a right-rear hook to Ty Dillon – but NASCAR let him go with just a 50-point redux and a $50,000 fine with no suspension. According to Mike Forde, NASCAR managing director, “We did feel that it was significantly different than the previous two.” Since it was at a road course where drivers race at lower speeds anyway, and also the lack of damage did not bring out a caution flag, NASCAR opted out of suspending Cindric.

Yet this is hardly enough to appease the hosts of the ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ show. Freddie Kraft hounded NASCAR for making exceptions in such retaliatory situations. “To me, it shouldn’t f—— matter what the speed is. It’s the intent, and this is what you’re trying to take out of the sport. And now it’s back to, we don’t know what the hell is going to go on.” Kraft cut the sanctioning body some slack by considering the intensity of the wreck: “Do I think what Bubba and Chase did was maybe worse than what Austin did? Yes, absolutely.”

However, co-host Karsyn Elledge declared that the action is the same, and hence warrants the same punishment. “But a right hook’s a right hook, no matter what.” Furthermore, Freddie Kraft questioned NASCAR for not clearly mentioning the boundary between Austin Cindric‘s actions and the actions of his predecessors. “It’s, where is the line? If Bubba and Chase’s were suspension-worthy and this one’s not, what’s the miles-per-hour range where we can hook somebody and get away with it?”

Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice proclaimed that Cindric’s monetary penalty was puny. It hardly makes up for the damage caused to the No. 10 Chevy. That information also affected Kraft, as he continued: “Talk about whether you didn’t do enough damage. Chris Rice posted, there was over $100,000 worth of damage to that race car.”

As the protests pick up in volume over NASCAR’s leniency, the overall public opinion is evident. Meanwhile, Austin Cindric tries to lay low – with a little bit of support.

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Awkwardly dodging the questions

Well, two Cup Series stars were at the receiving end of controversy at COTA. They were Austin Cindric and Ross Chastain – the latter riling up Chase Elliott’s fans after he wrecked the No. 9 Chevrolet on the very first lap. Both quietly ran the Shriner’s Children 500 race, barely denting the headlines. Cindric finished in 19th, while Chastain clinched the 11th place. Cindric’s penalty anyway put him below the NASCAR’s top-25 media availability requirement threshold. However, he still appeared for the weekend bullpen media session, realizing that a little bit of clarity may help calm down tensions.

Austin Cindric tried to explain his dynamics with Ty Dillon at COTA as best as he could. “I got forced into the runoff, forced off track, and just handled myself poorly in the face of adversity. I obviously got penalized for it. … I’ve been faced with a lot of adversity to start the season and a lot of emotions and obviously handled them poorly. And I would think that given that situation again, I’d handle myself better.”

Yet the No. 2 Team Penske driver will need to prove himself to actually appease his enraged NASCAR colleagues. Yet one of his rivals sided with NASCAR’s penalty, deeming it to be the right call. Erik Jones lauded NASCAR for making an exception in Austin Cindric’s case: “If we go to Vegas next week and someone does it, it’s not OK. I think it’s pretty well established where it’s going to be an issue and what’s going to be an issue. I think what NASCAR was saying at COTA and I agree with them, it was no different than spinning a guy out on a short track.”

Austin Cindric might just survive the next few weekends without the battering scrutiny. But to truly gain back his rivals’ confidence, he needs to show it on the racetrack.