NASCAR has decided not to issue penalties to Austin Hill or Shane van Gisbergen after their on-track incident during the Cup Series eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. The decision came after officials completed a detailed review of the Lap 48 crash and found insufficient evidence to prove the contact was intentional.
The incident happened as both drivers battled for position near the back of the field. Van Gisbergen’s No. 97 Chevrolet made contact with the rear of Hill’s No. 33 Chevrolet as they entered Turn 3, sending Hill into the outside wall and ending his race. Hill later made contact with van Gisbergen’s car under caution before driving to the garage. NASCAR reviewed data, video, and radio communications before reaching its final decision.
NASCAR Explains Why Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen Avoided Penalties
NASCAR officials reviewed throttle, braking, and steering data from every lap completed by both drivers. They also examined in-car camera footage and listened to team radio communications to determine whether either driver acted intentionally.
Mike Forde, NASCAR Vice President of Racing Communications, discussed the review on the most recent episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast.
“We looked to see if there were any anomalies throughout the race, and something that spurred this, maybe, was payback from earlier. We went through all the radio transmissions to see if anything rose to the level of a smoking gun. Camera angles and all available resources, as we always say. And nothing in our eyes proved definitively this was 100% intentional and penalty-worthy.”
Forde said NASCAR requires clear proof before taking disciplinary action against a driver for on-track contact.
“There’s enough reasonable doubt to where it didn’t rise to the penalty for us here. If you remove that reasonable doubt, then you’re going to get a penalty. If you say you’re going to do it and then do it, that is going to rise to the level of a penalty.”
NASCAR Reviews Second Chicago Incident Without Issuing Penalties
NASCAR also reviewed a separate incident involving Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar during the same race. Officials applied the same process and reached the same conclusion.
“The same review went into it, and nothing rose to the level of there being no doubt it was intentional, so we are opting not to penalize them. But we’ll also be having a conversation in the hauler between those two drivers. So it’ll be a busy hauler.”
The review found no clear evidence that either incident met NASCAR’s standard for issuing penalties. Instead, officials chose to address both situations through direct discussions with the drivers.
NASCAR Schedules Driver Meetings Before Atlanta Weekend
NASCAR has scheduled meetings with Austin Hill, Shane van Gisbergen, Zane Smith, and Carson Hocevar this weekend at EchoPark Speedway. Officials want to discuss both incidents before the next race to prevent further problems.
“We want to have a discussion and make sure that it doesn’t boil over into a significant problem at Atlanta or beyond. So we plan to have that conversation on Saturday.”
Hill finished 37th after crashing out of the race, while van Gisbergen finished 25th, one lap behind the leaders.
NASCAR’s decision shows that officials will continue relying on race data, video evidence, and team communications before issuing penalties for on-track incidents. Although Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen escaped punishment, the scheduled meetings show NASCAR is taking the situation seriously as the regular season continues.
NASCAR Holds Back on Punishment as Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen Face New Talks