NASCAR Punishes Austin Hill For Crash At Indianapolis Speedway originally appeared on The Spun.
In a decision that probably comes as a surprise to very few people, NASCAR has suspended driver Austin Hill for his actions at Indianapolis Speedway this past Saturday.
On Tuesday, NASCAR announced that Hill will be suspended for one race for his actions in retaliating against Aric Almirola in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race. The clash caused a major crash that could have caused serious harm to the two of them and other drivers.
“NASCAR officials penalized Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill on Tuesday, suspending him for one race for his actions in last Saturday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” NASCAR announced on their website.
“Hill, driver of the Richard Childress Racing No. 21 Chevrolet, is set to miss this weekend’s event at Iowa Speedway (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Richard Childress Racing announced on social media that the team will not appeal the penalty and that Austin Dillon will pilot the No. 21 machine at Iowa.”
Hill’s Richard Childress Racing team will not be appealing the suspension. His No. 21 car will be driven by Austin Dillon at Iowa Speedway instead.
“Richard Childress Racing will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to the No. 21 team following the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We remain focused on winning a championship with Austin Hill in 2025. Austin Dillon will race the No. 21 Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway,” the team announced after the suspension.
Richard Childress Racing will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to the No. 21 team following the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We remain focused on winning a championship with Austin Hill in 2025.
Austin Dillon will race the No. 21 Chevrolet at… pic.twitter.com/muTTd8SJrZ— RCR (@RCRracing) July 29, 2025
The reaction has been pretty decisive.
Just about everyone on social media has been applauding the decision, saying it was “deserved” for Hill after his behavior.
“100% the right call! Austin Hill can complain all he wants, the white gloves (and SMT data) don’t lie. Can we please get a Rowdy super sub???” one user wrote on X.
“The right call. It looked obvious, and he was lying on the radio to cover himself. Heat of the moment anger cost him big time. What a shame to see a championship contender stoop to this,” wrote another.
“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” a third wrote.
“It won’t get us our money back for the bets he caused us to lose but it’s nice to see a little justice for once.”
“You love to see it.”
How did this happen?
Here’s how NASCAR described what occurred in Indianapolis on Saturday:
“Hill tangled with Aric Almirola in the 91st of 100 laps in Saturday’s Pennzoil 250, when Almirola’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota first nudged Hill’s No. 21 Chevy into a slide in Turn 3. After righting his car, Hill bumped Almirola’s right-rear fender, turning the No. 19 sharply into the Turn 4 retaining wall.
“Almirola was sidelined after heavy nose-first contact, finishing 35th in the 38-car field. Hill continued with a damaged car, but race officials held him for five laps in the pits for rough driving.
“Almirola called the contact “definitely intentional” in interviews after he was evaluated and released from the Indianapolis track’s infield care center. Hill declined comment after his 34th-place result, but in radio transmissions to his No. 21 team after the altercation, the 31-year-old driver indicated that the initial contact left him struggling to regain control before the two cars touched again.”
The consequences could be serious.
For those thinking that one race might not be enough of a punishment, NASCAR rules ensure that it will be. Per NASCAR.com, Hill must now get a waiver to retain eligibility for the Xfinity Series playoffs. He also forfeits his 21 playoff points and will be ineligible to collect anymore.
Like the people said: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Related: Fans Hated NASCAR Legend’s Response To Austin Hill Controversy
NASCAR Punishes Austin Hill For Crash At Indianapolis Speedway first appeared on The Spun on Jul 29, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
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