Austin Cindric penalized following Sunday's Cup Series race at COTA

It was later confirmed by Pockrass that Cindric would not appeal.

While the penalty dropped Cindric from 11th to 34th in the points standings and might seem hefty at first glance, it is not as severe as some penalties handed down by NASCAR in recent years.

When Bubba Wallace intentionally wrecked Kyle Larson and hooked him into the outside wall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022, NASCAR handed Wallace a one-race suspension.

Less than a year later, Chase Elliott retaliated against Denny Hamlin and sent him into the outside wall at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2023. Elliott was given a one-race suspension as well.

When speaking on the "Hauler Talk" podcast on Wednesday, Mike Forde, NASCAR's managing director of racing communications, provided a list of reasons why a one-race suspension was not given to Cindric.

Among them was the slower pace cars were traveling at when the incident occurred, as opposed to faster intermediate-style tracks like Las Vegas and Charlotte. Additionally, Dillon had no significant damage, which allowed him to drive away and prevented NASCAR from having to throw the caution. As a result, Ford did not feel that a one-race suspension was warranted.

Cindric's penalty may not have been as harsh as others, but it is still a considerable setback for a driver who got off to a blistering start to the season. He was in contention to win the season's opening two races at Daytona and Atlanta before getting wiped out in late-race incidents. A disappointing 25th-place finish at COTA did not help matters.

As the series prepares for its second stop on the three-race West Coast swing this Sunday at Phoenix Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Cindric will look to rebound, which may not be likely given his lack of top 10s in six starts in the Arizona desert.

Furthermore, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team were also penalized on Wednesday due to the right front wheel coming off Larson's car before the end of Stage 2 at COTA. 

Due to the safety violation penalty as described in Sections 8.8.10.4.A&C: Tires and Wheels of the NASCAR Rule Book, jackman Brandon Johnson and front tire changer Blaine Anderson will miss the next two races at Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Unlike Cindric, Larson has only two finishes outside the top 10 in his last 12 Cup Series starts at Phoenix, so a rebound from the 32nd-place finish at COTA should be in store.