NASCAR Penalties at COTA 2025 : Cup Series infractions this week

This weekend's action at the Circuit of the Americas wrapped up the third race of the 2025 season for the NASCAR Cup Series. However, not all teams escaped Austin, Texas without being handed down penalties.

After his right front tire fell off his #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet midway through stage two, Kyle Larson's team received a penalty for the loose wheel. Per FOX NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass, Larson's front tire changer and jackman were handed a two-race suspension for the violation. Pockrass also noted that Team Penske driver Austin Cindric was handed a penalty, writing via X:

"Gragson & Reddick cars good at R&D tech. Larson team, as expected, got two-race suspensions to front tire changer and jackman for wheel coming off ... Only other penalty was Cindric docked 50 points and $50K fine for Dillon hook."

On the fourth lap of Sunday's race at COTA, Cindric was racing hard with Ty Dillon when the latter's #10 machine pushed up into his #2 car. This sparked Cindric to hook Dillon in the right rear and spin him out. The penalty for this, as Pockrass noted, was a loss of 50 points and a $50K fine.

In the past, NASCAR has suspended drivers for right-rear hooking a driver. In 2022, Bubba Wallace was suspended for two races after right-rear hooking Kyle Larson into the wall at Las Vegas. In 2023, Chase Elliott was suspended for one race after doing the same to Denny Hamlin at Charlotte.

Cindric, however, wasn't suspended. Pockrass explained on X that NASCAR didn't see the Cindric/Dillon incident as severe as the prior right-rear hooking situations. Therefore, he wasn't suspended. Pockrass wrote:

"NASCAR says no suspension for Cindric because: Driver was traveling at a slower pace on the road course (vs an intermediate/superspeedway) Dillon had no significant impact or damage; was able to drive on. No caution. A one-race suspension did not ‘feel’ appropriate"

Larson was unable to recover from the tire issue in Sunday's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix as he scored a 32nd-place finish. Cindric, meanwhile, had a lackluster day and finished in the 25th spot.

NASCAR Cup Series returns to action this Sunday at Phoenix

The Phoenix Raceway will host the fourth race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season this Sunday. The 1.0-mile track will host the 312-lap Shriners Children's 500, which will take place on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. EST. The race can be watched on FOX or listened to on the Motor Racing Network.

Christopher Bell aims for his third straight Cup Series win, a feat that hasn't been done in the NextGen era. The last time a driver won three straight races was Kyle Larson in 2021.

Joey Logano, the three-time and defending Cup Series champion, aims to make it two straight wins at Phoenix. He last won there in November when he claimed his third Cup title.