Coming out of the final turn, Cindric in the #2 Ford Mustang made contact with the #10 Chevrolet Camaro on Lap 3 and hooked the Kaulig Racing driver into a spin. Dillon wound up making contact with the Armco barrier and suffered damage to his car.
Speaking on the NASCAR podcast Hauler Talk, NASCAR managing director of racing communications Mike Ford said officials deemed Cindric was “intentional” in wrecking Dillon.
Cindric was found to be in violation of “Sections 4.4 B&D: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct Penalty Options And Guidelines” and was docked 50 points and fined. The penalty drops him from 11th to 35th in the standings.
NASCAR could have given Cindric a one-race suspension, noting previous violations by Bubba Wallace on Kyle Larson in 2022 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Chase Elliott on Denny Hamlin in 2023 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, officials decided not to suspend him given the tighter confines of the circuit and significantly lower speed.
“The reason we landed on points and fine is we take every situation, every violation as its own unique incident,” Ford explained.
“I know probably fans don’t love hearing that sentence, and it’s said a lot. But it’s said because it has to be said. It’s said because it’s true.
“Sure, we do look at past instances to help inform us, educate ourselves on how to handle each subsequent one, but each incident is very different.
“In this case, we did feel it was significantly different from the previous two and the reasons are – you look at it, it is at a road course, lower speeds, tight confines to begin with, and the result didn’t even draw a caution flag.”
We are four laps in and payback has already happened. Things are wild in Texas today. 👀 pic.twitter.com/MxqWlpbsHU
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 2, 2025
NASCAR also handed out a penalty to Hendrick Motorsport after a wheel came loose on Kyle Larson’s #5 Chevrolet Camaro.
Crew members Brandon Johnson and Blaine Anderson were suspended for the next two Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Larson’s team breached “Sections 8.8.10.4.A & C: Tires and Wheels” which notes “Loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle during the event.”
The right front wheel came adrift halfway around the lap following a scheduled pit stop for the #5 team.
While Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports were sanctioned, Joe Gibbs Racing was given a reprieve after a successful appeal for a previous penalty.
NASCAR Cup Series crew chief James Small, who won the 2013 Bathurst 1000 with Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards, received a four-race ban for a technical infringement to the #19 Chase Briscoe Toyota Camry discovered after the Daytona 500.
NASCAR alleged the spoiler base had been modified but overturned that ruling. The team was initially delivered an L2-level penalty that meant the team and drivers were each docked 100 points. The team was initially handed an AUD $157,000 (USD $100,000) fine.
“The panel believes that the elongation of some of the holes on the No. 19 Cup car spoiler base is caused by the process of attaching that specific spoiler base to the rear deck and not modification of the single source part,” a NASCAR statement read.
Joe Gibbs Racing welcomed the decision by NASCAR.
“We appreciate the process NASCAR has in place that allowed us the opportunity to present our explanation of what led to the penalty issued to our No. 19 team,” team owner Joe Gibbs said in a statement.
“We are thankful for the consideration and ruling by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel. It is obviously great news for our 19 team and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. We look forward to focusing on the remainder of our season starting this weekend in Phoenix.”
Taking to social media, Briscoe hailed the decision as the “biggest points day of my career.”
“We’re back! In all seriousness thank you to NASCAR for giving us the option to show our evidence and huge thank you to everyone at (Joe Gibbs Racing) who put in countless hours to put everything together,” he wrote.
NASCAR continues at Phoenix Raceway on Monday, March 10.
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