Austin Cindric’s COTA tangle with Ty Dillon cost him big Wednesday—NASCAR dropped a 50-point hammer and a $50,000 fine on the No. 2 Team Penske Ford driver, shoving him from 11th to 35th in the Cup standings.
Early in Sunday’s Circuit of The Americas slugfest, Cindric clipped Dillon’s No. 10 Kaulig Chevy, spinning him down the frontstretch. NASCAR ruled it intentional wrecking under Sections 4.4 B&D of the Code of Conduct—ugly, but not suspension-worthy like Bubba Wallace’s 2022 Las Vegas hit on Kyle Larson or Chase Elliott’s 2023 Charlotte smack on Denny Hamlin.
Mike Forde, NASCAR’s comms boss, broke it down on “Hauler Talk”: “The reasoning Cindric wasn’t suspended included the race being on a road course, with lower speeds and tighter confines already, and that the incident didn’t lead to a caution flag. The previous two incidents that led to those suspensions occurred on 1.5-mile speedways.” No yellow, no ban.
Meanwhile, Hendrick’s No. 5 team took a gut punch—jackman Brandon Johnson and front tire changer Blaine Anderson copped two-race suspensions under Sections 8.8.10.4.A&C after Kyle Larson’s right-front wheel broke loose late in Stage 2, post-pit stop.
Larson’s penalty? Two laps on the spot, limping him to 32nd—the 2021 champ’s day torched by a wrench slip.
Hendrick’s scrambling—jackman Eric Ludwig and tire changer Jafar Hall, poached from Spire Motorsports duties, step in for Phoenix Sunday, 3:30 PM ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM. The No. 5’s gotta regroup fast.
Cindric’s hit stings—no playoff points docked, but 50 down hurts. Hendrick’s wheel fiasco? Pure pit road pain. Both crews roll to Phoenix licking wounds, chasing redemption.
