NASCAR has penalized Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, following an on-track incident with Ty Dillon during last Sunday’s Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas.
Early in the race, Cindric made contact with the right rear of Dillon’s No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, sending him spinning down the frontstretch. NASCAR ruled that Cindric’s actions fell under Sections 4.4 B&D: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct Penalty Options and Guidelines, classifying it as intentionally wrecking another vehicle.
As a result, Cindric has been fined $50,000 and docked 50 driver points, causing him to drop from 11th to 35th in the standings. However, NASCAR stopped short of suspending him for a race—something it has done in past instances of intentional wrecking. Previous suspensions were handed to Bubba Wallace for wrecking Kyle Larson at Las Vegas in 2022 and to Chase Elliott for turning Denny Hamlin at Charlotte in 2023.
Mike Forde, NASCAR’s managing director of racing communications, explained on the latest episode of Hauler Talk that several factors influenced the decision not to suspend Cindric. He noted that the race was on a road course, where lower speeds and tighter confines naturally limit the impact of incidents. Additionally, the contact did not bring out a caution flag, unlike the previous incidents that led to suspensions, which occurred on high-speed, 1.5-mile tracks.