COTA penalty: NASCAR hits Austin Cindric with major punishment for right-rear hook on Ty Dillon

NASCAR has handed down penalties from the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA over the weekend, with some notable actions issued, particularly after a right-rear hook by Austin Cindric.

Cindric became the immediate focus of the possible post-race disciplinary measures when he cleaned out Ty Dillon on the fourth lap of the race. For that, Cindric was penalized heavily.

He will not be suspended, but he will lose 50 points and have to pay a $50,000 fine. That will set him back considerably early in the season.

As a result of the points penalty, Austin Cindric will drop from 11th in the standings to 34th. But avoiding a suspension was huge.

NASCAR explained that the lack of a suspension was due to the race being on a road course, with lower speeds and tighter confines. The incident also didn’t bring out a caution flag, which helped.

In addition to Cindric’s penalty, Kyle Larson’s team was penalized after losing a wheel on the track. Larson will be without jackman Brandon Johnson and front tire changer Blaine Anderson after they were suspended two races each.

Larson was also penalized two laps by NASCAR, dropping him to a P32 finish in the race at COTA.

Austin Cindric right-rear hooks Ty Dillon

The incident occurred early in the race, just four laps in.

After coming around a corner, Dillon managed to push Cindric off the track to the right side. Cindric then just waited for his chance on the ensuing straightaway, lined up Dillon and appeared to turn left into his back right bumper.

Dillon spun around and hit the wall.

NASCAR, per an industry insider who studied past retaliatory situations where both drivers continued in the race, typically has issued a multi-lap hold, a points penalty and/or a monetary fine.

Here, NASCAR chose to go with a points penalty and a fine.

That came as little surprise to Denny Hamlin, who opined on how the penalty might play out depending on what NASCAR uncovered.

“I don’t have the data to sit here and say did he or did he not turn hard left,” Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast. “If the data shows it it’s going to be a hard one to avoid a penalty. But if it looks 50-50 I think that they’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and tell him, ‘Buddy, you were close on that one.’”