Dale Earnhardt Jr. debates why losing 50 points is “harsher” for Austin Cindric than getting a race suspension 

Former NASCAR star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. has explained how getting a 50-point penalty is "harsher" than a race suspension. During his podcast, 'Dale Jr. Download', he highlighted a new way to view the penalty.

Team Penske driver Austin Cindric was penalized for intentionally wrecking Ty Dillon during the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) race on Sunday, March 2, 2025. On Lap 4, Cindric and Dillon were competing for the lead. Later, Cindric made contact with the #10 Chevy and spun out Dillon.

NASCAR penalized the #2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver with a 50-point deduction and a $50,000 fine. But the governing body didn't suspend him for the right hook.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. pointed out that the 50-point deduction is a bigger deal than getting one race suspension and explained:

"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?"

"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," Dale Earnhardt Jr. concluded.

With a 50-point deduction, Austin Cindric fell from 11th to 35th in the Cup Series driver's standings. Cindric is now 86 points behind to qualify for the playoffs.

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“What’s the point of the penalty?”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. tries finding logic in NASCAR's verdict on the situation

Former two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently shared his honest feelings about the Austin Cindric incident. During the same podcast, Dale Jr. tried to decode the reasoning behind NASCAR's decision.

Drivers like Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin were not impressed by the governing body's decision. Popular drivers like Chase Elliott, and Bubba Wallace were suspended previously for right hooking. Reflecting upon the same, Dale Jr. said [04:55 onwards]:

"I understand what some of the drivers are saying as far as Kyle Busch and Denny, who were like, 'I don't care if you're going 10 mph or 200 mph, a right hook is a right hook, and it shall all be treated the same. Yeah, I don't know if I could agree with that."

"I hate to assume that; I don't think that's true. I don't believe NASCAR would go, 'Hey man, we don't want to. We've got a rule to suspend on the right hook, and we're not going to do it because we don't want the guy to feel the brunt of the penalty? What's the point of the penalty?" Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Austin Cindric's lenient punishment was also linked to the new waiver rule. According to the rule, Cindric would lose all his playoff points if suspended. The governing body was not prepared to implement the new rule in the third race of the season.