NASCAR Ford driver Austin Cindric clashed with Chevy driver Ty Dillon at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) a few weeks ago. On Lap 4, both drivers drifted wide in Turn 20, forcing Cindric;s No. 2 Ford Mustang off track and costing him valuable positions as the pack surged past. When he rejoined traffic, Cindric made his displeasure crystal clear by tagging the right rear of Dillon’s No. 10 Chevy, sending him spinning – an action that didn’t sit well with NASCAR. Cindric was handed a penalty later that week, but competitors have argued that the Ford driver should have been suspended instead of slapped on the wrist.
Chevy driver Kyle Busch weighed in on the situation during a media event ahead of last weekend’s race at Phoenix, speaking with Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. As a reminder, Cindric’s penalty consisted of a $50,000 fine and the loss of 50 points, but Busch criticized the sanctioning body for not suspending the Ford driver – especially since other racers have been penalized for nearly identical actions in the past. And Busch thinks a driver’s last name has a lot to do with officials’ willingness to issue a suspension.
“I did it once and maybe twice, got off with it the first time, but definitely not the second time,” Busch said. “Sat out a whole weekend, two more races the second time. You know that’s not [Cindric’s] first offense, I don’t know if it’s his second offense. Like I said, some guys get off on based off who I think their last name is.”
NASCAR defended its decision to penalize and not suspend Cindric earlier in the week, citing the lower speeds and lack of a caution flag due to the incident at COTA. In short, officials didn’t think the wreck was severe enough to warrant a harsher punishment.
Kyle Busch on Austin Cindric not being suspended: “Put it in the rulebook: A right hook will result in one-race suspension. Period.” @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/7QV9UvYCyk
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 8, 2025
Busch wasn’t convinced, however. He thinks NASCAR should be consistent with its penalties, regardless of who’s on the receiving end.
“Put it in the rulebook: A right hook will result in a one-race suspension. Period,” he said.
Comments
Would Mr. Bushinho have the same opinion if the driver in number 10 wasn’t the grandson of the owner of the team that the driver in number 8 races for?
Kyle is right hate him or not. that style of wrecking deadly in fact it has even been nicknamed the “widows hook” so any driver that pulls that move should be suspended.