Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice didn’t hold back after Austin Cindric’s deliberate wreck of Ty Dillon at Circuit of the Americas — an incident NASCAR penalized with a $50,000 fine and a 50-point deduction. For Rice, the punishment didn’t come close to addressing the six-figure financial hit and competitive disruption his team suffered.
“I hate it. I hate it for our race team,” Rice said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, pushing back against claims that Dillon’s No. 10 Chevrolet avoided significant damage. The clash, which happened after Dillon nudged Cindric on the third lap, reignited debates over NASCAR’s inconsistent discipline for intentional wrecks — a sore subject since Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace faced suspensions in 2022 and 2023.
Kaulig Racing President Blasts NASCAR’s Penalty Decision
Cindric’s retaliation left Dillon’s car with a mangled front clip, shattered right-front suspension, and crumpled bodywork.
Rice broke down the financial toll:
“You know, front clip, upright on the right, front nose, bumper, hood, right front fender, about five to eight positions in the race, and you know, whatever points that is. So, I mean, you could keep going deeper and deeper when you look at that.”
Repairs surpassed $100,000, further compounded by the car being sidelined for future races.
“It’s gonna be six figures by the time you fix it and it’s out of service,” Rice emphasized.
⚖️ @KauligRacing President @C_Rice1 reacted to the penalty handed down from @AustinCindric's right rear contact on @tydillon today on #TMDNASCAR.
🗣️ “Hopefully, things like that don’t happen again.”
Full Interview → https://t.co/MKhd9eLXG8 pic.twitter.com/A5uUQCeqdO
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) March 6, 2025
NASCAR defended its decision, citing COTA’s lower speeds and the fact that the incident didn’t bring out a caution. But Rice argued the penalty ignored precedent.
“It was in line with what they did with [Carson] Hocevar under caution at Nashville,” he said, referencing a 2023 incident.
Still, Hocevar’s similar right-hook penalty didn’t ease Rice’s frustration.
“They went a lap down fixing it. And then we took two whole stages to get back that lap and get back to the field,” Rice added.
Rice emphasized Kaulig Racing’s internal code of conduct.
“If my driver does something… unlawful… shouldn’t happen in NASCAR,” he said, vowing to hold his own team accountable.
Though he praised NASCAR VP Elton Sawyer for maintaining an open dialogue, he remained firm in his stance.
“I got all the information, had a really good conversation with Elton yesterday, and I appreciate him a lot, a lot more than people know. I appreciate him having conversations with me.”
Mechanical Meltdown Adds Insult to Injury for Kaulig Racing
The weekend worsened when AJ Allmendinger, a road-course specialist, dropped from the top five to 30th due to a loose right-front tire.
“It ended up being a little bit loose, which made it vibrate, harmonic, and it felt like a really bad set of tires. [AJ] couldn’t turn left like he needed to turn left. And it really hurt him,” Rice explained.
Data revealed the wheel wasn’t fully tightened, and the issue was traced to an air gun leased from NASCAR.
Rice defended his pit crew, praising their precision.
“Our pit crew is phenomenal… It was nothing they did,” he said.
“We don’t know whether it was a gun or whatever. I talked to Elton about that yesterday. They’re gonna check that out also for us because we leased those guns from NASCAR.”
The issue compounded Allmendinger’s misfortune after leading two laps early, ruining hopes of a top-five finish.
For Dillon, COTA marked another frustrating outing. After a strong 14th-place run at Daytona, he finished 29th at Atlanta and 28th at COTA, both due to early incidents.
“It’s tough to talk about,” Rice admitted. “We’re professionals. We don’t condone retaliation.”
Despite Dillon sitting 24th in points and Allmendinger in 25th, Rice remained optimistic.
“We’ll claw our way back,” he said, eyeing redemption at Phoenix.
But the scars from COTA — both financial and competitive — won’t fade quickly.
