Cindric Moves Down 23 Positions in NASCAR Qualifying After COTA Penalty

NASCAR officials announced multiple penalties on Wednesday following the recent Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas, affecting both Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports.

Penalty for Austin Cindric

Austin Cindric, driver of the Ford No. 2 for Team Penske, received a substantial penalty following an incident with Ty Dillon during the early stages of Sunday's race. NASCAR determined that Cindric violated the Member Conduct Code when he made contact with the right rear of the Chevrolet No. 10 of Kaulig Racing driven by Dillon, causing the latter to spin on the main straight.

As a result, Cindric has been fined $50,000 and lost 50 points in the drivers' championship. This penalty has drastically altered his position in the standings, causing him to drop from 11th to 34th place.

NASCAR chose not to suspend Cindric, unlike previous similar incidents. According to Mike Forde, NASCAR's managing director of racing communications, the factors for this decision included that the race took place on a circuit with lower speeds and narrower spaces, and the fact that the incident did not cause a caution flag.

Hendrick Motorsports Team Members Suspended

In a separate penalty, two members of the No. 5 team of Kyle Larson at Hendrick Motorsports were suspended following a wheel detachment incident during the race.

The jackman Brandon Johnson and the front tire changer Blaine Anderson have been suspended for the next two points events of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship until March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The penalty comes after Larson lost his right front wheel on track shortly after a pit stop towards the end of Stage 2.

The wheel separation resulted in an immediate two-lap penalty for Larson during the race, contributing to his 32nd place finish in the final standings.

Replacements at Hendrick Motorsports

Hendrick Motorsports has already named replacements for the suspended team members. Eric Ludwig will take on the role of jackman, and Jafar Hall will serve as the front tire changer for the No. 5 team in this Sunday's Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Both Ludwig and Hall are members of the Hendrick team who were previously assigned to the cars of Spire Motorsports.

The Phoenix race is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on March 9.