If Richard Childress is known for anything, it is his directness. When questioned about the collision between his driver, Austin Hill, and JGR driver Aric Almirola at Indy, he didn’t hold back. His blunt remarks reflect the heightened tension around the incident and the long-standing debate over NASCAR’s inconsistency in enforcing penalties. But notably, he came in defense of his driver.
In the wake of the crash and Hill’s heated radio outburst, Childress made it crystal clear. He stands firmly behind his driver. Yet with NASCAR already reviewing the act and suspensions hinted at, a bigger showdown looms over fairness and precedent.
“They give us trouble all the time,” fumes Childress, slamming NASCAR
Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indy is likely to result in further penalties for Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill. The controversy began when he appeared to right-rear hook Aric Almirola, causing both veteran drivers to wreck. NASCAR responded by holding Hill on pit road for five laps, a penalty of significant severity, as it is a level rarely imposed, and previous incidents of similar severity have led to driver suspensions. Any final decision from the sanctioning body is expected mid-week.
Hill was unapologetic on the radio, defending his actions vigorously. “Oh, they can go f— themselves. F— NASCAR. This is f—— bull—-… I’m f—— sideways; I got corrected back to the left. It’s locked to the left, and I run into the #19 (Almirola).” Despite the five-lap hold, he managed to finish 34th. What won’t help Hill is how he behaved after being penalized and the volatile radio chatter that only adds fuel to NASCAR’s review.
When asked about the incident and whether Austin should be suspended, Childress didn’t hold back. He said, “Hell no! They didn’t do a damn thing to the 2 car (Austin Cindric). He wrecked tight and admitted to it, drove him in the right rear, and wrecked him at COTA. It’s who you are. We’re a blue-collar team; they give us trouble all the time.” Looking back, Austin Cindric was penalized for a right-rear hook on Ty Dillon at COTA, hit Ty Dillon and admitted it, and was docked 50 points with a fine, but no suspension followed. That precedent looms large now.
Early in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas, Ty Dillon moved Austin Cindric up the track through turn 2, forcing Cindric off the racing line. Frustrated, Cindric retaliated a few laps later. He pulled alongside Dillon on the front straight and deliberately turned his car such that the right rear of his No. 2 Ford Mustang made contact with Dillon’s No. 10 Chevrolet, spinning Dillon into the outside wall.
NASCAR ruled the move as intentional and a clear breach of section 4.4 B&D of its Member Code of Conduct. As a consequence, the team Penske was fined $50,000 and stripped of 50 Driver points, dropping him from 11th to 34th in the standings as the penalty took effect ahead of the race at Phoenix Raceway.
There are serious consequences at stake for RCR and Austin Hill. If NASCAR finds that the move was intentional, they are going to throw the book at Hill. If NASCAR suspends Hill for a week or two, that is going to sink his chances for an Xfinity championship. It could also be the first time we see your driver in one of the three national series lose all playoff points for the season; that’s the punishment for an unexcused race absence, and a suspension via penalty doesn’t qualify.
Here is what Richard Childress said after the race about #NASCAR penalizing Austin Hill 5 laps for reckless driving for incident with Aric Almirola in the Xfinity race at Indy. pic.twitter.com/vJfiU1DXaZ
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) July 26, 2025
Richard Childress may feel his driver shouldn’t be suspended, but NASCAR is likely to see things differently. Hill has to clean it up; now isn’t the time for mistakes. He has won races and earned playoff points; a suspension erases all of that. He is the first driver to have held five laps since 2021, a significant black mark for RCR. If he misses the next race at Iowa Speedway on August 2, his team will forfeit all 21 playoff points, with no further opportunity to earn more in 2025.
Past actions set a clear example. Drivers like Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott each served one-race suspensions for similar right-hook retaliation incidents. Despite Hill’s insistence on innocence, he appeared to be in full control before contact, something NASCAR will consider heavily. The community has already made its decision, and there have been calls for Austin Hill’s suspension.
Aric Almirola fires a shot at Austin Hill amid ‘role model’ stint
For Aric Almirola, today’s race ended in a hard reality check delivered by Austin Hill, not the way anyone wants to wrap up a day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. These two drivers clearly have no love lost. Aric made his displeasure abundantly clear, calling out his actions as intentional retaliation.
He went on to say, “So, glad I’m okay, thankful to everybody back at the shop at Joe Gibbs Racing for building amazing race cars and making them safe. Disappointed, felt like we had a shot to win. I have so much fun every time we run these races. We have great race cars, and I love doing it. It’s just unfortunate that guys like that, especially that guy. He stood up in front of a meeting at Martinsville and said he was going to be a role model for all the young kids to look up to, and racing etiquette, and I think that’s kind of laughable after that one.”
All of these date back to Martinsville. NASCAR held a high-profile meeting with Xfinity drivers following a chaotic race at Martinsville. Drivers, including Hill, were expected to commit to cleaner, more respectful racing etiquette after an aggressive incident drew sharp criticism from veterans like Chase Elliott, who called the event embarrassing for the sport. He even suggested that he would be a role model for younger drivers, a statement now burdened with irony, according to the JGR driver given today’s event.
The situation has escalated quickly. Childress is firing back at NASCAR, Almirola is demanding accountability, and Hill’s playoff hopes are hanging in the balance. With precedent and public sentiment weighing heavily, NASCAR’s decision could shape not only the season’s championship but also perceptions about fairness and discipline.
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