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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Has Blunt Message For NASCAR's Kyle Busch

Originally posted on The Spun | By Kameron Duncan | Last updated Mar 6, 2025 12:47 PM ET

The aftermath of the incident between Austin Cindric and Ty Dillon at NASCAR's Circuit of the Americas has been a hot topic in the stock car world this week.

Cindric right-rear hooked Dillon on the road course during the fourth lap of Sunday's race. No caution was thrown during the incident, but Cindric was hit with a $50,000 fine and docked 50 driver points.

Some have said that Cindric should have been suspended, as other drivers have in the past for similar maneuvers. Cup Series veteran and former champion Kyle Busch weighed in after Cindric's punishment was announced.

“I think intent is intent. I do not agree with the call there,” Busch said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “Don’t care where it is — Daytona, Martinsville, Watkins Glen and it’s not his first time either. He got off with that one.”

Busch thinks the punishment for Cindric was too lenient, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. offered a different view on the topic.

“Listen, if you have a history of doing these things, NASCAR’s going to … that’s going to play in,” Earnhardt Jr. said on his podcast, "The Dale Jr. Download."

“I understand what some of the drivers are saying as far as Kyle Busch and Denny [Hamlin], who are like, ‘Hey man, a right hook is a right hook. I don’t care if you’re going 10 miles an hour or 200 miles an hour, right hook is a right hook and it should all be treated the same.’ But yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know if I can agree with that.”

Busch's issue appears to be with Cindric having a history of on-track incidents, and NASCAR not taking that into account when considering its punishment for what took place on Sunday.

NORTH WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 Lenovo Chevrolet, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 17, 2024 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)Sean Gardner/Getty Images

“I do remember Austin Cindric having an issue or some type of an incident where it was at St. Louis with Austin Dillon, and I believe there was speculation and debate after that race about Austin’s maneuver, or a maneuver, that wrecked the 3 car,” Earnhardt said.

He then suggested that Busch's proximity to Austin Dillon - a teammate at Richard Childress Racing - could have influenced his opinion on Cindric's history as a driver.

We'll see the fallout from all of the controversy in and around the garage when the best stock car drivers on the planet take to the track at Phoenix Raceway at 3:30 PM ET on Sunday.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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