NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill (21) and NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Aric Almirola (19) collide during the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Peter Fanning/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Aric Almirola accuses another driver of intentionally wrecking him at Indianapolis

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jul 26, 2025 7:59 PM ET

Aric Almirola and Austin Hill both saw their days at Indianapolis Motor Speedway end on Lap 91 of Saturday's Pennzoil 250.

As Hill and Almirola battled for fourth, Almirola got Hill loose on the exit of turn 3. After regaining control of his Chevrolet, Hill turned left and hit Almirola, sending the No. 19 Toyota hard into the outside wall in turn 4.

While Almirola exited his car under his own power, he claimed the hit was one of the hardest of his career.

The yellow flag is out at @IMS following this incident involving multiple cars.@Aric_Almirola exited the No. 19 under his own power. pic.twitter.com/tOaYGsLFJw
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) July 26, 2025

Hill told his team over the radio that his move was not intentional. Unsurprisingly, Almirola disagreed.

"It was definitely intentional," Almirola told CW Sports. "He blocked me three times, I finally got him loose in (turn) 3. He just turned left and hooked me in the right-rear."

"It was definitely intentional."@Aric_Almirola talks about the incident with @_AustinHill. pic.twitter.com/dvurrFm3SW
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) July 26, 2025

Hill was held by NASCAR for five laps for reckless driving, but precedent shows that he may be in for an unplanned one-week vacation. Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott have been suspended for one race in the past after right-hooking their competitors in a retaliatory act, and despite Hill's side of the story, it appeared that he had full control of his car before he decided to make contact with Almirola.

If Hill were to be suspended by NASCAR, he would miss the Aug. 2 race at Iowa Speedway.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads: