Matt Johnson
NASCAR decided not to penalize Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen this week following their incidents at Chicagoland Speedway. While both drivers were brought to the hauler for a sitdown to try and prevent further on-track issues, it might not have worked.
Speaking to reporters before Sunday’s race at EchoPark Speedway, van Gisbergen said that he seemed more remorseful over what happened last weekend than Hill did. He also suggested that Hill might not be done getting payback.
Related: Austin Hill Seemingly Got Revenge on SVG at Chicagoland
“It was a weird dynamic in the meeting and a weird way how it ended…He’s the kind of personality I guess who feels like he’s gotta get the last laugh or the last one to strike and he threatened that I guess
Shane van Gisbergen on what went on in the hauler with Austin Hill (via Front Stretch)
It wasn’t a huge surprise this week when NASCAR decided not to penalize van Gisbergen for his actions at Chicagoland. While many widely viewed it as intentional contact, payback for what happened at Naval Base Coronado, van Gisbergen always publicly suggested it was an accident.
While the precedent for discipline has repeatedly changed in the NASCAR Cup Series, the standard this season seems to be admitting to an intentional wrecking of another driver. That’s demonstrated by Ryan Preece being penalized for hitting Ty Gibbs, coming just minutes after he seemed to indicate his plan on the radio.
It’s a bit more surprising that Hill didn’t receive a fine for intentionally making contact with the No. 97 car under caution. The driver of the No. 33 car was told repeatedly over the radio not to retaliate, but he did so on track under caution before making his way to the garage. Evidently, because it was only moderate contact, NASCAR decided not to fine him.
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NASCAR officials brought both drivers into the hauler this weekend in Atlanta to try and squash the beef, wanting to avoid any further incidents of intentional wrecking. As van Gisbergen stated, he needs to put the matter behind him because any further actions would result in a significant points penalty that could prevent him from making The Chase.
However, there’s no such incentive for Hill. Because he’s filling in as Richard Childress Racing’s second driver but isn’t eligible for points or a spot in The Chase in the Cup Series, there aren’t as many potential consequences for him if he wants to escalate things.
It’s clear that van Gisbergen believes coming out of that meeting, based on something that Hill said, that he will have to be careful around the No. 33 car for the remainder of the season. If Hill decides to act, however, it’s a guarantee that NASCAR will hand down a much harsher punishment on him for intentionally wrecking van Gisbergen after being brought to the hauler and warned against it.
