Austin Cindric’s rise in NASCAR was anything but ordinary. The son of Team Penske President Tim Cindric, he made a name for himself by winning the 2020 Xfinity Series title before securing a dramatic Daytona 500 victory as a rookie in 2022. His aggressive yet calculated driving style earned him respect, but lately, that aggression seems to be crossing a line.
With tempers flaring on the track, Cindric has found himself at the center of multiple controversies this season. Now, Denny Hamlin, never one to shy away from calling things as he sees them, is taking issue with the Penske driver’s actions. Is Cindric simply racing hard, or is he becoming a repeat offender? Hamlin’s patience is wearing thin, and he’s making sure NASCAR knows it.
Denny Hamlin calls out Austin Cindric’s aggression at Martinsville
Austin Cindric’s clashes with competitors, including a controversial incident with Ty Dillon at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), have raised concerns about his conduct on the track. At COTA, Dillon pushed Cindric wide on Lap 4, prompting retaliation as Cindric hooked Dillon’s right rear bumper, spinning him into the wall. NASCAR penalized Cindric with a $50,000 fine and a 50-point deduction, dropping him from 11th to 34th in the standings. However, some felt it should have been a suspension, as NASCAR has awarded them in the past, notably to Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott, for right-rear hooks.
The latest controversy unfolded at Martinsville during Sunday’s race. Racing for 27th on Lap 201, Austin Cindric found himself sandwiched between Riley Herbst and AJ Allmendinger. Herbst came off the wall slightly, creating a tight three-car squeeze. The #2 appeared to left-rear hook Herbst, sending him spinning and bringing out the caution. Denny Hamlin, Herbst’s team owner at 23XI Racing, is getting sick of Cindric’s antics.
“As a car owner, I’m not liking Austin Cindric spinning out Riley Herbst, and it’s starting to get on my nerves a little bit… He’s starting to be a repeat offender in my opinion. When things aren’t going his way, he’s wrecking guys. Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast. He added, “Cindric’s getting a couple of close ones here where NASCAR needs to start taking habitual behavior into account… Cindric needs to clean that up.”
Hamlin dissected the Martinsville incident further, noting that Herbst slightly misjudged his line but emphasizing Cindric’s role in escalating the situation. “NASCAR will probably view it as a racing incident, but anyone with any driving experience can say he got p—- and he got squeezed and he wrecked the 35 [Herbst],” Hamlin stated. Cindric might have gotten squeezed, but this does not justify his behavior on the track. With Team Penske already lagging behind their rivals in the standings, a penalty or possible suspension for such a move in the future would only make matters worse.
As tensions rise between drivers and teams, Hamlin’s call for accountability resonates across NASCAR. With Cindric’s actions becoming increasingly polarizing, the debate over aggressive driving and its consequences is shaping the narrative of the 2025 season. Will NASCAR take action, or will Cindric’s aggressive approach continue unchecked? If history is any indication, tensions are far from cooling down.
Aside from cleaning up his racing act, Austin Cindric is also in desperate need of an uptick in form.
Cindric needs some momentum
Austin Cindric, driving the No. 2 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, has had a mixed start to his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. He began the year with an impressive eighth-place finish at the Daytona 500. However, his performance has fluctuated since then, with a disappointing 28th place at the Ambetter Health 400 and a 25th at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
He was lucky to have escaped a ban after the COTA race following his actions with Ty Dillon. Other drivers like Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott have received a one-race suspension for similar actions in the past against Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, respectively. However, Cindric failed to capitalize on the opportunity, managing to finish only in 19th place at Homestead. These results, combined with a 38th-place finish at Martinsville due to electrical issues, have placed him 24th in the current standings.
Cindric’s average finish has improved compared to last year. In 2025 so far, he boasts an average finish of 20.29, up from 21.51 in 2023 and 22.71 in 2021. This change reflects his growing consistency on the track. Despite this progress, he faces challenges ahead. He has yet to win a race this season. If his results don’t improve, he risks falling further behind in the playoff hunt. A win would secure his spot in the postseason and silence critics who question his aggressive approach, but wrecking people when things don’t go his way isn’t doing him any favors.
As the season continues, Cindric will need to focus on clean racing and maintaining his momentum while improving his finishes. With several races remaining, he still has opportunities to secure more top-10 finishes and potentially contend for playoff spots later in the year. However, if NASCAR starts cracking down on “habitual behavior,” as Hamlin suggested, Cindric could find himself facing penalties instead of fighting for playoff contention.
Do you think Austin Cindric should receive harsher backlash for his actions at Martinsville? Let us know in the comments!
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