In a sport where, as Kyle Busch once observed, “There’s blood in the water, people like to go after you,” the sharks were now circling. When racing titan Roger Penske’s team found itself at the center of NASCAR’s latest controversy, few fans expected what ideally should have been a suspension to turn into a slap on the wrist with a small points deduction and a chip in the Penske wallet. Austin Cindric, piloting the No. 2 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, intentionally “right-rear hooked” competitor Ty Dillon during the road course race.
Fewer still anticipated the razor-sharp response that would come from Freddie Kraft, Bubba Wallace’s trusted spotter, whose single tweet managed to encapsulate what many in the garage area were thinking but hesitant to say aloud.
Freddie Kraft, spotter for Bubba Wallace, delivered the knockout blow with a tweet that perfectly captured the frustration felt throughout the NASCAR community: “Jeff can you please ask for an MPH range that we are now allowed to right hook someone? Asking for 36 friends.” His sarcastic dig—referencing the 36 chartered teams in the Cup Series—highlighted what many saw as a blatant double standard and questioned whether NASCAR had effectively created a speed-dependent sliding scale for dangerous driving tactics.
Jeff can you please ask for a MPH range that we are now allowed to right hook someone?
Asking for 36 friends. https://t.co/meWHqAaZ6q
— Freddie Kraft (@FreddieKraft) March 5, 2025
Speaking about the penalty, even Busch jumped in, “I think the intent is intent. I do not agree with the call there, and I don’t care where it is. It doesn’t matter if it’s Daytona, Talladega, Martinsville, or wherever. There’s intent, and it’s not his first offense, either. So, he got off the hook on that one… I mean, I’ve been guilty of it before, and I’ve been sat out of it before. So, you know, maybe it’s all in who your last name is.
Now Kyle Busch didn’t just receive the name Rowdy, he lived up to it. His aggression on the track was what made him famous, and in one such incident back in 2011 during a Truck Series race, Busch intentionally wrecked Ron Hornaday Jr. At the time, Busch received a $50,000 penalty and a suspension was handed to him for the subsequent Texas weekend. It forced him to sit out both Cup and Xfinity Series races. But for Cindric, the situation was different.
According to NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck, officials felt, “the slower speed of a road course and the lack of a caution/severe damage made it not suspension-worthy.” This explanation immediately raised eyebrows throughout the garage area, with many questioning whether Roger Penske’s driver had received preferential treatment. Despite acknowledging Cindric’s action was intentional, NASCAR opted for a lighter punishment: a $50,000 fine and 50 championship points deducted. “The reason we landed on the points and fine is we take every situation and every violation as its own unique incident, and I know fans probably don’t love hearing that, but it’s said because it’s true. Sure, we do look at past instances to help educate ourselves on how we should handle each subsequent one, but each incident is very different,” NASCAR managing director of racing communications Mike Forde.
And while Ty Dillon hasn’t reacted to the penalty yet, his radio message from the race tells fans all they need to know, “I’m not gonna say anything but you know what I’m thinking. That was some absolute bullshit.”
Who better to opine on the situation than someone who has been around the sport for a long time
Kyle Busch questions NASCAR about the incident
Kraft wasn’t alone in this judgment. Even Dale Jr. chimed into the whole debate. “They feel like, in their words, it wasn’t that severe because other cars didn’t run into them. So because they were going slower, because there wasn’t a big crash, it didn’t cause a yellow. That’s the way NASCAR views these things. I don’t agree with it.”
The digital debate spread through racing circles faster than a drafting partner at Talladega. Throughout its history, NASCAR conducted penalties that corresponded to cases of “hooking” violations. Matt Kenseth faced a two-race suspension from NASCAR in 2015 as he struck Joey Logano purposefully at Martinsville before Bubba Wallace received his punishment of one race in 2022 for his turn against Kyle Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The previous penalty cases directed increasing attention to NASCAR’s decision related to Cindric. In a way, it’s almost poetic that it’s Kraft questioning NASCAR about their inconsistency in dishing out these penalties.
The competitive nature of NASCAR faces potential challenges to fan confidence during the crucial stage of the season because of the perceived inconsistency in disciplinary actions.
The post As NASCAR Lets Roger Penske Walk Away From Scandal, Bubba Wallace’s Partner Fires Back With Hilarious Dig appeared first on EssentiallySports.