As fans of NASCAR, there aren’t many things we can understand. But something pretty clear sometimes is the fact that NASCAR doesn’t always treat all drivers the same. That was no different after last weekend’s race at Circuit of the Americas. It’s now the second time Austin Cindric has avoided a suspension for right-hooking a driver on the race track.
The sport started precedence when they suspended both Bubba Wallace in 2022 for right-hooking Kyle Larson at Las Vegas and then doing the same to Chase Elliott at Charlotte after he right-hooked Denny Hamlin. Cindric has now done the same thing twice to each of the Dillon brothers. I’m not saying his was as bad as Wallace and Elliott’s, but the sport made precedence, so why not keep up with it?
What Gives NASCAR? Austin Cindric Not Suspended for Right Hooking Ty Dillon
I might get some flack, but I think I know why he wasn’t suspended. He drives for Roger Penske, and they seem to get free reign on the racetrack. Not putting any fingers, but teammate Joey Logano does some not-so-smart things on the race track and is never called out for it. Again, what Cindric did wasn’t as egregious, but what I’m trying to say is, can we stick with the precedent?
Here is a look at the contact between Ty Dillon and Austin Cindric: pic.twitter.com/XE88skUcHZ
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) March 2, 2025
It’s becoming pretty clear that NASCAR seems to show favoritism towards Team Penske. I mean, Cindric did something very similar to Ty Dillon’s brother Austin in 2023. But apparently, NASCAR didn’t view it as bad because it was on a road course. So, they took another approach.
Fined, But Not Suspended
A hefty fine and loss of 50 points was a better move for NASCAR for the Cindric-Dillon incident at COTA. According to NASCAR.com’s Nate Ryan on the new episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast, NASCAR’s managing director of communications, Mike Forde, explained why a fine was the right move.
Listen to #NASCAR Hauler Talk podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon etc. I put together a clip here of @mforde addressing any social media who thought @AustinCindric penalty should have been more severe for hooking @tydillon ($50 thousand and loss of 50 driver points) @COTA… pic.twitter.com/au044PKb1C
— Claire B Lang (@ClaireBLang) March 5, 2025
” The reason we landed on the points and a fine is we take every situation and every violation as its unique incident, and I know fans probably don’t love hearing that, but it’s aid because it’s true,” Forde said. ” 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.”
That doesn’t sound like a good excuse. Right-hooking someone is right hooking them. It shouldn’t matter the speed at which you are going. I’m sorry but that’s just letting drivers do what they want, and this sport doesn’t need this crap to keep on continuing. Why have rules if you aren’t going to enforce them?
Sorry if I sound mad, but this, once again, seems like favoritism toward Penske.
READ MORE: Joey Logano Penalized for Illegal, Webbed Gloves
Why Not Test the New Waiver Rule?
This could have been the perfect opportunity to test out the new waiver rule. If you miss a race, you lose all of your playoff points. It’s not like Cindric had won a race yet, so he could’ve easily made up some points. Why not test the rule out, so we don’t get some other controversy, say at the midway point of the season? You do know Kyle Larson is running the Indy 500 again. don’t you? You’re gonna punish him again if he doesn’t get to Charlotte in time, aren’t you? Cut the crap NASCAR, handle these things the same way you did for Bubba and Chase, and even Noah Gragson in the Xfinity Series several years back. Right-hooking someone should be a no-no, no matter who the driver is.
READ NEXT: NASCAR Cup Series at COTA Highlighted by Rules Inconsistency, Bell Victory
Featured Image Credit: Imago/Zuma Press Wire. 3/1/2025
