“So (for Team Penske) to say that it was by mistake, why would you still have it in if you knew that you used it by mistake at the first race?” Last year, Michael Andretti didn’t hold back when he criticized Roger Penske after Team Penske’s controversial IndyCar push-to-pass scandal. Penske’s team had used the push-to-pass feature (similar to DRS in Formula One) illegally at the season opener, giving their drivers an unfair advantage. Despite the blatant rule violation, Penske did not take any major action against his team members. This left Andretti furious.
“I’m disappointed he didn’t fire anyone. You wonder then if he knew something,” said Andretti. His words suggested that Penske, a powerhouse in motorsports, may have been aware of the rule-breaking but chose to sweep it under the rug. Apart from snatching Josef Newgarden’s victory and Scott McLaughlin’s third-place finish, Penske got away lightly. Many in the racing world questioned whether Penske’s influence protected his team from severe penalties. Fast forward to this year’s NASCAR season, and Penske’s name is again caught in controversy.
Austin Cindric, one of Roger Penske’s rising Cup Series stars, recently found himself in hot water after blatantly right-rear hooking Ty Dillon at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). Many expected NASCAR to come down hard, given past penalties for similar incidents. Instead, Cindric received a 50-point deduction and a $50,000 fine—but no suspension. The decision ignited criticism from drivers and fans, bringing up questions of favoritism once again. As backlash continues, Cindric has dropped a ‘victim’ card ahead of the Phoenix race.
Austin Cindric plays the victim card!
Austin Cindric’s penalty at COTA is now the center of controversy in the NASCAR Cup Series garage. The young Penske driver’s right-rear hooked Ty Dillon on Lap 4, sending Dillon into the wall. Many believed this act deserved a one-race suspension, just like what was given to Bubba Wallace in 2022 and Chase Elliott in 2023 for similar incidents. Instead, NASCAR went easy on Cindric, handing him a financial penalty but allowing him to continue racing.
However, days after the incident, Roger Penske’s driver revealed that his COTA antics were emotional. “I think I was faced with adversity. I’ve been faced with a lot of adversity to start the season, and a lot of emotions, and obviously I handled them poorly and would, yeah, think that you know, given that situation again, I’d handle myself better,” he told media at Phoenix Raceway.
While he acknowledged his mistake, his comments lacked accountability. He seemed more focused on moving past the controversy than addressing the severity of his actions. However, one can understand the adversity he has been through. Notably, he started the year with an eighth-place finish at the Daytona 500, but he was arguably two turns away from a Daytona 500 win!
On the white flag lap in overtime of the 2025 Daytona 500, Cindric, who ran at the top for most of the race, was in a wheel-to-wheel battle with #11 Denny Hamlin. Everyone expected a drag race to the finish line as they exited Turn 4. However, they didn’t even make it out of Turn 3! Cole Custer, running behind the two, tried to squeeze them on the inside lane and caused a multi-car wreck, leaving William Byron and Tyler Reddick a free run on the outside line, all the way to the checkered flag. Cindric was left to wonder ‘what if?’ while Byron won his second consecutive Daytona 500 as Cindric finished 8th. However, the adversity didn’t stop at Daytona.
Austin Cindric on 50-point penalty for hooking Ty Dillon: “I’ve been faced with a lot of adversity to start the season and a lot of emotions and obviously handled them poorly.” @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/OrtZ9AikEl
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 8, 2025
Once again, Austin Cindric was having a great race at Atlanta, as the Fords do on superspeedways. He started 2nd, led 46 laps, and was in 2nd place behind Kyle Larson as the laps dwindled. However, a moment of déjà vu hit Cindric as Larson tried to go clear of the Penske man while the latter was up against the wall and squeezed him a little too tight. This led to the #2 Penske driver spinning out and ending the race in 28th place. DNF. Larson admitted after the race, “That was definitely my fault for sure… There was a moment where I thought I was clear… I hear clear [on radio], and my angle gets bad… I’m like, ‘I’m tight,’ and it was just too late.”
Then came the COTA race, where Cindric seemed fed up. Even Mike Forde, NASCAR’s managing director of racing communications, appeared on Hauler talk and said, “His [Cindric’s] frustration was at a boiling point.” So maybe this could explain why Cindric took such a defensive view of the whole incident. He didn’t wreck Dillon out of the race like Larson did to him, and neither did he ruin Dillon’s chance of winning the race like Custer did to him. However, he did commit the cardinal sin of NASCAR (right-rear hooking), and Ty Dillon was not happy.
While Cindric tried to brush off the situation, Ty Dillon wasn’t as forgiving. He openly criticized NASCAR’s decision to let Cindric off with just a fine and a points penalty. “I was expecting a one-race suspension. I’m glad they did something, though. I think 50 points and $50,000 are 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 a couple of years ago,” Dillon admitted.
The uproar over Cindric’s penalty wasn’t just about this single incident. It was about NASCAR’s long history of handing out inconsistent punishments. Just last year, Chase Elliott received a one-race suspension for right-rear hooking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte. In 2022, NASCAR suspended Bubba Wallace for wrecking Kyle Larson in Las Vegas. Officials deemed both Elliott’s and Wallace’s actions intentional and dangerous.
Cindric’s move was no different. He hooked Dillon’s car in a way that could have led to a major wreck. Yet, NASCAR justified the lighter penalty by pointing out that the crash happened on a road course at lower speeds. However, many saw this as a weak excuse. Intentional wrecking is dangerous regardless of the track. Ty Dillon was not alone in his displeasure with the move. Notably, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch was particularly upset.
Kyle Busch demands a major rule change!
Kyle Busch has long been vocal about NASCAR’s inconsistent penalties. After Cindric’s ruling, he once again called for clear-cut rules to prevent favoritism. He believes the only way to fix this issue is to create a simple, written rule: Any intentional right-rear hook should result in an automatic one-race suspension.
“I would not want to be in that business if I was NASCAR calling balls and strikes. It is not who I want to be if I’m a NASCAR official. Intent is intent. Put it in the rulebook: A right hook will result in a one-race suspension. Period,” Busch said. His frustration was evident as he has first-hand experience of the issue. Back in 2011, NASCAR suspended him for intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in a Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR defended its decision, stating that officials must judge each wreck separately based on its unique circumstances. But that reasoning doesn’t sit well with Busch and many others. If Cindric’s move was dangerous enough to warrant a 50-point deduction and a heavy fine, then why wasn’t it dangerous enough for a suspension? The lack of a clear standard leaves too much room for bias and controversy. For now, Cindric and Roger Penske’s team walk away with a slap on the wrist, while Busch and others keep pushing for a rule change.
What do you think? Is Cindric right to see himself as the victim? Or is this just another instance of Roger Penske’s team getting away easy? Let us know in the comments!
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