What warrants a suspension for a NASCAR driver after being involved in a retaliation act on the racetrack? We’ve seen Chase Elliott hook Denny Hamlin into the wall back in 2023. Then there’s Bubba Wallace doing the same on Kyle Larson in Las Vegas in 2022. Back then NASCAR ruled with an iron fist and suspended drivers for a race or two. But, now the dynamics have changed and NASCAR is going to tread very carefully when it comes to dealing with on-tract retaliation by the drivers.
In the COTA race last weekend, Ty Dillon moved Team Penske’s Austin Cindric up on the last turn, and in retaliation, Cindric right-hooked Dillon on the front stretch, sending the No. 10 Chevrolet of the Kauling Racing into the wall. Well, according to the precedent set by NASCAR, the Penske driver should’ve been suspended for a race.
But, unlike Elliott and Wallace, for some reason, NASCAR decided to go soft on Cindric and penalized him with $50,000 and docked 50 driver points, instead of a suspension. But why this disparity and inconsistency?
The Gray Area of Retaliation
“That was some absolute b——-.” Ty Dillon exclaimed after being right-rear hooked by Roger Penske’s driver last weekend. Instead of being suspended, Cindric was penalized with a $50,000 fine and a 50-point penalty. NASCAR in their defence stated that the contact happened on a road course and not an oval track. They also mentioned that the incident didn’t bring out a caution as Ty Dillon was able to drive off without any significant damage. And this decision has caused a lot of stir within the NASCAR community.
But Joey Logano, when asked about this incident before the Phoenix event, absolved himself and his team of any responsibility. “It’s case by case…I mean that’s that’s how everyone interprets the rules…it’s one thing to be written in the rule book and sometimes it’s a lot, it’s really hard to understand, because it’s a lot of legal mumbo jumbo…but when they make a call on something, and it’s this way you expect, okay next time it should look like that, if it’s a similar scenario.” Logano said this ahead of the Phoneix race.
Well, they did set a precedent last year when Austin Dillon rammed into Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the last lap at Richmond Raceway. Although the RCR star was credited with the win, NASCAR disqualified him from advancing into the playoffs. But, with the new playoff waiver rule they’ve taken themselves out of this situation somewhat. Had they decided to suspend Cindric for one race, he would’ve lost out on crucial playoff points from all the regular season racing, potentially ruling him out of the knockout stages.
Well, Mike Forde on the Hauler Talk explained why Cindric’s action didn’t warrant a suspension. Bating out for NASCAR, Forde stated, “In this case, we did feel that it was significantly different than the previous two. And the reasons are it is at a road course with lower speeds to begin with, and the results didn’t even draw a caution flag… And it may not be the popular call, but when we look at penalties, we do not really care how popular we are. We try to do the right thing here.”
Not the best look for Cindric here in the incident that took out Ty Dillon:#NASCAR #COTA pic.twitter.com/yJVE3QeStZ
— American Autosport (@americanautospo) March 2, 2025
NASCAR is often put under the spotlight when it comes to such decisions, and they tried their best not to derail Austin Cindric’s playoff hopes just three races into the season. But, Kyle Busch and Kaulig Racing camp certainly didn’t shy away from venting out their true feelings on Cindric’s penalty call. They expected NASCAR to hand out a harsh punishment.
RCR and Kaulig Camp disappointed with NASCAR’s Ruling
The fallout from the NASCAR’s ruling regarding the Cindric-Dillon incident has caused a storm of frustration in the NASCAR garage, with drivers expressing their disappointment towards NASCAR and their inconsistent rulings.
Kauling Racing’s Ty Dillon, who was the victim of Cindric’s right hook that saw him in the wall, was hoping for more than just a points penalty, “I was expecting a one-race suspension…I’m glad they did something, though. I think 50 points and $50,000 is probably enough to make him think about doing something like that again. But I think a one-race suspension is what most of us expected. They set a standard couple years ago“.
He also pointed out the inconsistency in officiating and called out NASCAR for exploiting the gray areas to favor Austin Cindric, “That’s where maybe NASCAR gets themselves in a little bit of trouble, is when you try to play in gray areas of what’s fast enough…I just think we have to [do] a better job of just making those calls black and white and setting a little bit better standard.”
Given the fact Dillon was right hooked and spun into the wall, his comments were nowhere near as sharp as compared to the 2-time champion, Kyle Busch.
“Some guys get off, based on who their last name is,” said Busch, who is known for his ‘honest’ opinion not holding back in expressing his discontent regarding the inconsistency in NASCAR’s ruling with implying the hand of Tim Cindric, Austin Cindric’s father and Team Penske’s president in getting NASCAR to penalize Cindric instead of suspending him.
Busch’s frustration with NASCAR’s inconsistency in officiating the races was clearly visible, “Rules change every week…Intent is intent…Put it in the rulebook: A right hook will result in a one-race suspension. Period.” Busch’s core argument, “Intent is Intent”, cuts to the crux of the matter, according to him, a deliberate act should be punished equally regardless of the track or the speed or the damage that the car suffers.
NASCAR legend, Kevin Harvick also added his two cents on the incident during a pre-race presentation in Phoenix with, “Whether you’re going 35 miles an hour or 135 miles an hour…[He]should have been suspended…It’s very obvious to see exactly what he did, and he definitely got away with one here.”
Busch’s comments when combined with those of Dillon and Harvick’s amplify the growing opinion around the garage that NASCAR’s officiating is not only inconsistent, but also possibly influenced by external factors.
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