Bubba Wallace was suspended for right-hooking Kyle Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October 2022. Chase Elliott was suspended for right-hooking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2023.
Austin Dillon was not suspended for right-hooking Hamlin at Richmond Raceway in August 2024, but he had his win encumbered, so the same purpose was effectively served, since he did not advance to the playoffs with the victory.
However, Austin Cindric was merely docked 50 points and fined $50,000 after doing the exact same thing to Ty Dillon at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) last week. He was allowed to compete in Sunday's race at Phoenix Raceway.
NASCAR's logic was based on the fact that it happened on a road course, and therefore speeds are lower than they are on an oval, the fact that Dillon was able to continue, and the fact that there was no caution flag.
NASCAR totally ignored the main point: intent.
And in doing so, they incited an unnecessary controversy that had everybody talking over the weekend.
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
And add Denny Hamlin to this list. He said he didn't research the Cindric move to see intent but if it's a flagrant foul, it's a flagrant foul. https://t.co/TdYIUIP1RY pic.twitter.com/5r0TKXEum2
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 8, 2025
Ty Dillon said he was expecting Austin Cindric to get a one-race suspension for right-rear hooking him early in the COTA race. He's glad NASCAR penalized him (50 points, $50K fine) but indicated that move should be an automatic one-race suspension. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/vjTyGwxwtH
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 8, 2025
Cindric even knew he made a mistake.
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
While the fact that Kyle Busch went as far as saying that NASCAR needs to stop ruling based on last names may seem a little bit extreme, maybe there is something to be said for that.
Austin Dillon, his own teammate, is the grandson of team owner Richard Childress, and Austin Cindric is the son of Team Penske president Tim Cindric.
Of course, that same logic implies that Elliott, the sport's Most Popular Driver Award winner every year since 2018 and son of Bill Elliott, would have gotten a slap on the wrist, and he was indeed suspended.
But there is also something to be said for NASCAR wanting to make a statement by suspending someone like Elliott to show that they don't play favorites.
The same can be said for Wallace, who, despite not having a famous last name, has emerged as one of the sport's most polarizing figures in that fans either love him or hate him. Statement signed, sealed, and delivered.
But what's the point in making a statement if you're not going to enforce the very principles that that statement is based on?
Since Cindric doesn't fall under either banner, he gets away with it?
For what it's worth, Cindric's own father was suspended by Team Penske for the Indy 500 last year after the cheating scandal unfolded. But I digress.
Given the fact that Elliott was granted a playoff waiver when he missed his race, the same punishment easily could have been handed to Cindric. Wallace wasn't since his incident took place in the playoffs, at which point he was already eliminated, and Dillon was effectively given a "waiver" in that he was still allowed to qualify later in the year. But neither Elliott nor Dillon ended up making the playoffs.
Either way, NASCAR can avoid all of the unnecessary controversy by making the rule black and white. Whether or not they do that remains to be seen, but inconsistency here is nothing new, and neither is the inevitable ensuing controversy.