NASCAR makes penalty decision after Austin Hill flips off fans in Talladega win

In a follow-up post on Oct. 19, the same X user would clarify the Austin Hill situation.

“To clarify some context to the picture:
"Yes he flipped us off.
"Yes we did it first.
"Yes we thought it was hilarious.
"No he shouldn’t be punished.
"I respect the gesture and it adds to the needed personality the field needs.
"I may hate him, but I love to hate him cuz that’s sports.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. sounds off on Austin Hill shooting NASCAR fans the bird

Dale Earnhardt Jr. responded to the Austin Hill situation during his “Ask Jr.” segment on this week’s "Dale Jr. Download." And to somehow double down on the strangely wholesome nature of a NASCAR driver and a group of fans having a middle-finger war, he supports all parties involved.

“Let’s be clear… This is Austin Hill driving by the grandstands. He did not drive down the straightaway with his middle finger in the air the whole way. He’s flipping a guy off. And he’s looking at the camera, and he’s responding to some fans… probably sitting there double-birding him. And he’s just giving it back, and I agree. We need to embrace this to an extent.”

It’s no secret that Austin Hill is seen as something of a villain to much of the NASCAR-enjoying world. Whether or not he has fully embraced that role yet remains to be seen. But this Talladega demonstration seems to reinforce it. And, as Dale Jr. believes, it does “add some color” to a sport that many believe is suffering from a personality crisis.