Latest news with #NASCAR
Newsweek
25 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
NASCAR Announces Suspension for Austin Hill: Here's Why
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. NASCAR has announced a one-race suspension for Austin Hill after he rear-right hooked Aric Almirola during the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis. Hill faced a five-lap penalty for reckless driving during the race, but now, NASCAR has announced its verdict. As a result of the suspension, Hill will miss the race at Iowa Speedway on August 3. A big impact of the suspension will be on his playoff points, as he is set to lose them all. The incident occurred when Hill took out Almirola as an act of retaliation for aggressive driving. Following the five-lap penalty, Hill's rant was heard on the radio. He said: "Oh they can go f**k themselves. F**k NASCAR. That is f***ing bulls**t. I'm f***ing sideways, I go to correct it back to the left, it gets locked to the left, I f***ing run into the 19 [Almirola]." Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26, 2025 in Indianapolis, released a penalty report announcing Hill's suspension on X. A penalty has been issued following this past weekend's action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. — NASCAR Communications (@NASCAR_Comms) July 29, 2025 Hill's team, Richard Childress Racing, announced that it will not be appealing the penalty. It stated: "Richard Childress Racing will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to the No. 21 team following the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We remain focused on winning a championship with Austin Hill in 2025. Austin Dillon will race the No. 21 Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway." Richard Childress Racing will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to the No. 21 team following the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We remain focused on winning a championship with Austin Hill in 2025. Austin Dillon will race the No. 21 Chevrolet at… — RCR (@RCRracing) July 29, 2025 Almirola finished the race in P35, one place behind Hill. Opening up about the incident, he said: "Oh, it was definitely intentional. He blocked me three times. He had damage on his nose, so he was really slow in the corners. So, it was time to go. I mean, we're coming to 10 laps to go or nine laps to go. Uh, the leaders are starting to put a gap on us. So, it's time to go, and I got him loose. Yeah, you just turn left and hook me in the right rears. Honestly, one of the biggest hits in my entire NASCAR career. Very reminiscent of the hit I took when I broke my back. "So, glad I'm okay, thankful to everybody back at the shop at Joe Gibbs Racing for building amazing race cars and making them safe. Disappointed, felt like we had a shot to win. I have so much fun every time we run these races. We have great race cars, and I love doing it. It's just unfortunate that guys like that, especially that guy. He stood up in front of a meeting at Martinsville and said he was going to be a role model for all the young kids to look up to, and racing etiquette, and I think that's kind of laughable after that one."
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox News
NASCAR Suspends Austin Hill One Race For Intentionally Wrecking Aric Almirola
NASCAR suspended Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill for one race for retaliating Saturday against Aric Almirola by hooking his car in the right rear, sending Almirola hard into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway wall. Hill will serve his suspension this weekend at Iowa Speedway. Austin Dillon will replace him in the Richard Childress Racing No. 21 Xfinity Series car. "Richard Childress Racing will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to the No. 21 team following the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway," the team said in a social media post. "We remain focused on winning a championship with Austin Hill in 2025." The penalty is more than a suspension. A driver who is suspended loses all playoff points earned during the regular season. Playoff points help a driver advance in the three-race playoff rounds if they do not win. Hill is fifth in the Xfinity Series standings and is ranked third in playoff points with 21 (not including the points he would earn by finishing in the top 10 of the regular-season standings). The suspension was not a surprise, as NASCAR often suspends drivers for that type of retaliatory move on high-speed tracks. Earlier this season, NASCAR did not suspend Austin Cindric but instead docked him 50 points and fined him $50,000 or a retaliatory hook on Ty Dillon in the Cup race at Circuit of the Americas. That incident has remained a topic of debate. Hill said on the radio to his team that the accident wasn't on purpose. Almirola, speaking on the CW race telecast after the accident, said it was obvious that it was. NASCAR held Hill five laps after the incident for reckless driving. "It was definitely intentional," Almirola said. Almirola said he did make contact with Hill to force him to wiggle so Almirola could make the pass. "I got him loose and he just turned left and hooked me in the right rear," Almirola said. "[It was] honestly one of the biggest hits in my entire NASCAR career. Very reminiscent of the hit I took when I broke my back [in 2017 at Kansas]." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
New York Times
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
Mexico City is out for NASCAR's 2026 schedule; Chicagoland likely in: Sources
NASCAR's premier Cup Series will not return to Mexico City next year, leaving a spot on its 2026 schedule that is expected to be filled by the addition of a race at Chicagoland Speedway, multiple sources briefed on the league's plans told The Athletic. Not going back to Mexico City leaves NASCAR without an international Cup race in 2026, as the logistics of getting the series to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in Mexico's capital, along with finding a date that works for NASCAR, the teams and the track, proved challenging. Advertisement In June, Mexico City became the site of the first Cup international points since 1958. But that date is unavailable next year as Mexico City hosts the FIFA Men's World Cup soccer tournament, with five matches scheduled from June 11 to July 5. Both sides looked at a spring date — likely around the traditional Easter off weekend to give teams additional time to manage the travel — and even explored a possible NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheader before NASCAR decided to turn its attention to finding a date for Mexico City on the 2027 schedule. Needing a replacement for Mexico City on its 38-race schedule (36 points races plus two exhibitions), NASCAR is now solidifying plans to return to Chicagoland. The 1.5-mile oval in Joliet, Ill., about 50 miles from downtown Chicago, is owned by NASCAR. Chicagoland previously hosted races for NASCAR's three national series (Cup, Xfinity and Trucks) from 2001 to 2019 before the league decided to shift its date elsewhere — first to Road America in northern Wisconsin, then to a temporary street circuit NASCAR built in downtown Chicago around Grant Park. After a successful three-year run for the Chicago Street Course, NASCAR announced earlier this month it would not race there next season, with the hope of returning in 2027. The league also said in its statement that it will keep its Chicago-based office open. Adding Chicagoland would mean NASCAR would continue to hold a race in the third-largest market in the United States, significant in a sponsor-driven sport. Doing so will require capital improvements to the facility, estimated at around $4 million, according to industry sources — a cost NASCAR would have to cover. Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar recently visited Chicagoland, which has largely sat dormant since 2019, and he said it 'still looks pretty decent shape … kind of abandoned, but obviously somebody is taking care of it.' NASCAR declined to comment on whether Chicagoland would be added to the 2026 Cup schedule. The most likely spot for a Chicagoland race would be in the summer, though NASCAR is finalizing next year's schedule. Joliet Mayor Terry D'Arcy would not confirm NASCAR's return to Chicagoland in a statement to The Athletic, but he did express enthusiasm and excitement about the possibility. Advertisement 'It's always a fun event for our community and a great economic boost for the entire region,' D'Arcy said. The 2026 Cup schedule is expected to include two new dates: Chicagoland and the already announced temporary street circuit to be built at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, which is taking the place of the Chicago Street Race. The San Diego race is slated for Father's Day weekend. Chicagoland's return would likely be well-received by the industry and fans. The track pairs well with the Next Gen car NASCAR rolled out in 2022, which has raced well on intermediate-sized tracks similar to Chicagoland. Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman, the most recent race winner there, recently expressed enthusiasm about the possibility when asked, as did several other drivers. 'It's awesome; it's such a cool track,' Team Penske driver Joey Logano said last month. 'We bring everything else back these days, let's bring that one back. That'd be cool.' Swapping in Chicagoland for Mexico City would mean 33 of the 38 races on the 2026 schedule will be held on ovals, an increase from 32 this season. (Photo from NASCAR's Cup Series race in Mexico City last month: Luis Cano / Jam Media / Getty Images)
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Austin Hill suspended by NASCAR for intentional crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NASCAR has suspended Austin Hill for one Xfinity Series race following his intentional wreck of Aric Almirola during Saturday's event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The incident occurred while both drivers were running in the top five. After Almirola made contact that pushed Hill up the track, Hill appeared to retaliate by hooking Almirola in the right rear, sending him into the outside wall. Hill was penalized five laps during the race and finished 34th, while Almirola ended up 35th. — NASCAR_Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Relive the Bollywood 2025 moments that went viral Learn More Undo The suspension comes with major consequences. Hill loses all 21 playoff points he had accumulated this season-previously third-most behind Connor Zilisch (29) and Justin Allgaier (22) - and is now barred from earning additional playoff points unless he is granted a waiver. This rule stems from a policy introduced prior to the 2025 season. Richard Childress Racing has named Cup Series driver Austin Dillon as Hill's replacement for this weekend's Xfinity race at Iowa. Hill, currently seventh in the Xfinity standings with three wins, now risks falling further in the rankings. Live Events Only the top 12 drivers qualify for the Xfinity playoffs, making Hill's path to championship contention much more difficult. Although Hill claimed the incident was unintentional, his fiery, expletive-laced reaction to the penalty likely didn't help his case. The suspension significantly alters the playoff picture and puts Hill in a must-perform situation for the remainder of the regular season.
New York Post
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- New York Post
NASCAR driver hospitalized in scary dirt track crash: ‘Tremendous amount of pain'
A NASCAR driver was involved in a terrifying dirt track accident in Quebec, Canada, on Monday night and sustained injuries when the dirt-modified car he was driving struck a barrier and flew into the air. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen was taking part in the first night of a Super DIRTcar Series event at Autodrome Drummond when the accident occurred, which left him with an unstable open-book pelvic fracture and a fractured right leg, according to a statement by the driver's wife, Jessica Friesen. Both injuries will require surgery, and Friesen was transferred to a larger hospital on Tuesday morning for the procedures. 3 Stewart Friesen was in a scary crash. Last Lap Insider/X CT scans cleared Friesen of any head, neck or spine injuries, though 'he is still in a tremendous amount of pain,' according to the statement. The race was on lap 17 when Friesen's car started to go over the berm on the back straightaway and collided with the outside retaining wall, with the impact sending the car flipping into the air and erupting into flames as it rolled back onto the track. 3 Friesen's car hit the barrier and went flying Last Lap Insider/X The cockpit came to a rest in the middle of the track as pieces of the car lay around it. The racing series reported on social media that Friesen was alert and communicating with race officials and EMT on site before he was able to be extracted from the car. He was then taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. The racing circuit told CNY Central that race officials and first responders were given the same medical emergency training as NASCAR and IndyCar safety staffers go through. 'Thank you to the manufacturers who have made dirt modifieds as safe as possible, and to the track crew for their patience and hard work getting Stew out of the car,' Jessica said in Tuesday's statement. 3 Stewart Friesen, driver of the Halmar International Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics at Michigan International Speedway on June 7, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan. Getty Images Friesen drives for Halmar-Friesen Racing in the NASCAR Truck Series and is sitting in seventh in the playoff picture thanks to a dramatic win at Michigan International Speedway in June. The 42-year-old had just come off a Super DIRTCar win over the weekend at Weedsport Speedway in upstate New York.
