Ford Driver Penalized For Taking Out NASCAR Chevy At COTA

When Ford driver Austin Cindric right-hooked the No. 10 NASCAR Chevy of Ty Dillon at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) last week, the sport’s sanctioning body launched an investigation into the incident. While they deemed Cindric at fault for intentionally wrecking a competitor, the resulting penalty wasn’t as severe as some expected – or hoped.

As a reminder, Dillon’s NASCAR Chevy and Cindric’s Ford rubbed doors on Lap 4 of the Cup Series race at COTA on March 2^nd, 2025. Heading into Turn 20, Dillon’s No. 10 Chevy forced Cindric’s No. 2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse off the track, pushing him wide through the corner. Cindric returned to the track and hooked Dillon’s car at the right rear quarter panel, sending the latter straight into the wall. According to the penalty report from NASCAR.com, officials determined that Cindric’s actions violated Sections 4.4 B&D: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct Penalty Options and Guidelines. Cindric was fined $50,000 and lost 50 driver points.

“I was expecting a one-race suspension,” Dillon said after the penalty was announced. “I’m glad they did something, though. I think 50 points and $50,000 is probably enough to make him think about doing something like that again. You hope it’s enough, but I think a one-race suspension is what most of us expected.”

NASCAR officials indicated that they elected to fine Cindric instead of penalizing him because the damage dealt to Dillon’s car was minimal and was able to finish the race. Kaulig Racing President Chris Rice – the NASCAR Chevy team that fields Ty Dillon’s entry – appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio following the penalty announcement. He disagreed with NASCAR’s assessment.

“It still was a big number for Kaulig Racing, money wise,” Rice said in the interview. “I know I read something yesterday that it didn’t tear up the car, wasn’t that much money, didn’t hurt that car. I mean, it was a big number. So, I hate it. I hate it for our race team.”

It’s worth noting that NASCAR has suspended drivers for wrecking competitors in a similar man in the past. Chase Elliott was suspended for a single race in 2023 after intentionally putting Denny Hamlin in the wall during the Coca-Cola 600 that year, and Bubba Wallace was suspended for wrecking Kyle Larson in 2022.