Austin Dillon made comments after a crash at World Wide Technology Raceway in which he called for Austin Cindric to receive a one-race suspension. NASCAR examined the incident and opted not to issue a penalty.
NASCAR SVP of Competition Elton Sawyer appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on June 6 and weighed in. He said that NASCAR reviewed the video and data of the incident where the left front of Cindric’s No. 2 Ford made contact with the right rear of Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet, which sent hooked it into Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47 Chevrolet.
“We didn’t see anything and haven’t seen anything that really would rise to a level that would be a suspension or a penalty,” Sawyer said during his appearance. “It looked like hard racing. One car coming up a little bit and another car going down.
“As we said last week, we take these incidents very serious when we see cars that are turned head-on into another car or head-on into the wall. I spent a lot of time yesterday looking at that, looking at all the data, looking at TV footage, and just deemed this one really hard racing.”
SMT Data Was Not Readily Available at the Track
GettyAustin Cindric (right) used data to defend himself.
As Sawyer mentioned during the appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, officials and teams did not have access to the SMT data during the race itself due to a fiber issue that disrupted everyone at the track.
NASAR couldn’t look at information about Cindric’s throttle or steering in real-time, but there were recordings available that they could go back and examine before making a decision.
Cindric provided a look at this information after NASCAR decided not to issue a penalty. He posted a sample on Twitter that showed the positions of his and Dillon’s cars, as well as the applicable SMT data.
Data has become a prominent part of discussions in recent weeks, for better or for worse. Denny Hamlin posted multiple examples on Twitter after Chase Elliott wrecked him in the Coca-Cola 600, and he used it to further his point about the incident being intentional.
One week later, Cindric posted data on social media as well. Though he used it to defend himself after comments about the wreck from Dillon and Richard Childress.
The use of data became a talking point prior to the Cup Series event at World Wide Technology Raceway. Ryan Blaney, in particular, said that it’s hard to use data because it doesn’t show the emotions of the driver, nor does it reveal if a mistake led to the incident under examination.
Blaney also indicated that there could be more situations where drivers use data to show that someone wrecked them.
“The data side is out there for the whole world to see, and it’s a good tool to use if you want to try to get someone in trouble,” Blaney said. “It’s almost like tattletaling to the principal, to be honest with you. Everyone goes about it their own way.”
Cindric Issued a Response After the Decision
Along with posting SMT data, Cindric also took time to make his first public comments about the crash at WWT Raceway. He declined to provide comments immediately after the race, but he issued a long statement two days later.
“I am not a fan of the idea of taking to social media to deal with on-track issues, but it has become clear to me that my voice and input is needed for this discussion to come to an end,” Cindric said in a statement on Twitter.
“Did AD and I make contact? Yes. Was that contact intentional? Absolutely NOT. The data is pretty cut and dry, but I’ve provided it since it has yet to surface from the start of these accusations.
“I follow the draft from the 24 car the length of the frontstraight to make it three wide, trapping the 3 car on the bottom, which I viewed as an advantage for me by the time we would get the exit of Turn 2.
“The 3 comes up to get his arch for the corner, tries to fill the gap, and is not clear. All happening right at the braking point for the corner.
“I actually start to roll out of the throttle as I recognize the 3 car trying to fill the gap. My steering angle does not shift to the left until we make contact. Not exactly the type of behavior you’d expect from someone trying to catch and hook another car.
“Safety is a very important topic and one that is taken very seriously in our industry. Reviewing the data, at no point do I see any neglect towards the safety of others on the racetrack from any drivers involved in this incident, myself included.
“Objectively, I cannot see how intent or, if I’m being honest, full responsibility can be placed on me here, especially racing hard for position at the end of the race.
“As a professional, I do not enjoy having my character in question when it is not justified. We are expected to race hard and I will not apologize for doing so, but I will be the first person to raise my hand and listen when I’ve done something wrong.
“I’ve reached out to Austin so the two of us can discuss our differences as professionals. Once I hear back from him, that can happen.”
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NASCAR Decides Cindric-Dillon Incident Not Penalty Worthy