Austin Hill, driver of the No. 21 NASCAR Chevy Camaro SS in the Xfinity Series, was penalized for intentionally sending a competitor into the wall at Charlotte on May 25th, 2024.
As per this week’s penalty report on NASCAR.com, Hill was fined $25,000 and docked points for his involvement in the crash. Hill got into a spat with Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, with 17 laps left in the race. Hill and Custer made contact, resulting in a cut tire on the No. 21 NASCAR Chevy Camaro.
Hill then spun out, collecting Custer as his race car went sideways in the middle of the pack. Hill, feeling that Custer had wronged him, put the No. 21 NASCAR Chevy Camaro right on the bumper of the No. 00 Mustang and sent the latter spinning into the inside wall, junking the race car. Custer ultimately had to retire from the race due to the wreck, while Hill went on to finish 25th, two laps down.
Officials reviewed the incident and found Hill’s actions to be in violation of Section 4.4B in the NASCAR Rule Book. Specifically, this section details with NASCAR’s Member Code of Conduct, with penalty guidelines that address:
- Wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from Competition as a result.
- Any actions deemed to compromise the safety of an Event or otherwise pose a dangerous risk to the safety of Competitors, Officials, spectators, or others.
Hill was fined $25,000 for his actions and docked 25 points in the Xfinity Series driver standings. The penalty is a severe blow to Hill’s championship hopes, knocking him out of the lead in the point standings and dropping him to third place. Adding insult to injury, Custer is now placed second in the standings, just in front of Hill, while Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 81 Toyota TRD Supra, inherits the points lead.
Check out the incident that led to Hill’s penalty in the video below.
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