Bubba Wallace’s spotter claps back at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s comments on Austin Cindric’s $50K and a 50-point penalty 

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently debated that a 50-point penalty might be "harsher" than a one-race suspension. However, his co-host and Bubba Wallace's spotter, Freddie Kraft, have different opinions on the same situation.

NASCAR slammed Team Penske star driver Austin Cindric with a 50-point deduction and a fine of $50,000 for his right hook move in the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Sunday, March 2. On Lap 4, Cindric and Ty Dillon were competing for the lead, and Cindric made contact with the right end of the #10 Chevy, spinning Dillon out on the track.

Reflecting upon the penalty, Dale Earnhardt Jr. highlighted that the 50-point deduction might be "worse" than a suspension and wrote:

"Worse than a suspension? Quite possibly."

However, Bubba Wallace's spotter had a different opinion on the same situation and mentioned drivers would give up 50 points and $50K to race in their car. He said:

"I think every race car driver I know would give up 50 points and $50k, if it meant not having to watch someone else drive their race car."

With a 50-point deduction, Austin Cindric fell from 11th to 35th place in the Cup Series drivers' standings. However, he was not the only driver penalized; Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson will start the next race without jackman Brandon Johnson and front tire changer Blaine Anderson.

The #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 team members have been suspended for two races for a safety violation penalty noted in Sections 8.8.10.4.A&C: Tires and Wheels of the NASCAR Rule Book.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. debates why a 50-point penalty is "harsher" than a race suspension

During the latest episode of the "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained how a 50-point penalty is "harsher" than suspension.

"We're gonna penalize him. He got 50 damn points. That's freaking race and a half.... How many you think he's gonna get? It's debatable. What's at stake? He gets to race. He gets to keep racing. He loses a giant bucket of points with the way he's running. It's more than one race's worth of points. What if he gets suspended a race?" Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained.

"Look, I know the playoff points you're talking about, but we are just speculating on, really, how many playoff points he may get if he makes the playoffs. Say, NASCAR did suspend him, right? What if he ran like that race anyways? And just, you know, it cost him 18-20 points... I think losing the 50 points total is harsher on him because of how they're struggling than it is a top five or top 10 team workout," he concluded.

Following the new waiver rule, NASCR leniently punished Austin Cindric. If suspended, he would lose all his playoff points, and the governing body was not ready to implement such a rule in the third week of the season.