NASCAR has opted to not suspend Austin Cindric for a right rear hook that crashed Ty Dillon on the frontstretch on Sunday in the Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas.
Instead, Cindric was issued a 50-point deduction and a $50,000 fine. A suspension would have triggered a new NASCAR policy for this season that results in that driver losing all playoff points earned through the regular season and starting the playoffs with just the base total.
NASCAR determined that the retaliatory crash did not warrant a suspension because it occurred on a road course, did not result in a caution, and because Dillon was able to drive away from the scene of the incident.
The incident was the result of what happened in the previous corner, when Dillon washed Cindric off the racing surface, resulting in the retaliation on the next straightaway directly in front of the control tower.
NASCAR has targeted right rear hooks as something it will not tolerate in recent season, suspending both Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott for doing so on intermediate length tracks. Carson Hocevar was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points for a right rear hook of Harrison Burton under caution last July at Nashville Superspeedway.
With the penalty, Cindric drops from 11th to 34th in the standings. He was 13 points ahead of the playoff elimination cutline but now finds himself 37 points out a playoff spot.
In expected news, NASCAR also suspended two members of the over-the-wall crew for Kyle Larson and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 for their right front wheel coming off on Sunday. The suspended crew member selected by the Sanctioning Body were jackman Brandon Johnson and front tire changer Blaine Anderson.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.
