Austin Cindric's $50K penalty has become a hot topic in NASCAR's ongoing debate over regulations, now drawing reactions from Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin.

Denny Hamlin agrees with what Dale Earnhardt Jr. said about Austin Cindric‘s penalty at COTA. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin shared his thoughts on the Cindric hooking Ty Dillon at COTA and sided with Earnhardt,

Denny Hamlin knows more than most drivers about a right hook and its consequences. His 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace hooked Kyle Larson at Las Vegas in 2022 and received a one-race suspension. A year later at Charlotte,

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin speaks in support of the verdict that NASCAR provided against Austin Cindric in COTA.

This past week was a big one on the NASCAR Cup Series penalty front. Chase Briscoe won his appeal and regained his points for a post-race penalty received at Daytona. Conversely, Austin Cindric was docked 50 points and fined $50,000 for hooking Ty Dillon at Circuit of the Americas.

Kevin Harvick said during Sunday's prerace show that NASCAR should have suspended Austin Cindric following last week's race at COTA.

Following NASCAR’s 2025 edition of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) race, the Austin Cindric penalty remains a hot topic in the racing world. Kyle Busch once again grabbed the mic, and in true “Rowdy” fashion,