Austin Hill receives 25 points deduction and a fine for the incident with Cole Custer in Charlotte

Austin Hill lost his nerve on the backstretch on Saturday after an incident with Cole Custer in Turn 1 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and on Wednesday NASCAR took action against Hill.

Hill, who drives the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing, was found guilty of violating Section 4.4B of the NASCAR rule book, which relates to the Code of Conduct for NASCAR Members. NASCAR fined Hill $25,000 and deducted 25 championship points for his antics at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The penalty drops Hill from the top spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series to third place, four points ahead of Chandler Smith. Hill is four points behind Custer, who is second in the championship standings, and 21 points behind Chandler Smith.

In the Charlotte incident, Hill angrily drove into the rear of Custer’s No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang on the backstretch of the 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometer) race track, sending Custer flying into the inside wall long after the two drivers’ initial crash.

After the accident, Custer took exception to Hill’s last-minute machinations. After a visit to the Infield Care Center, Custer said Hill “wants to drive like a pissed-off teenager.”

In addition to the penalties imposed on Hill on Wednesday, NASCAR also issued two fines to NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series crew chiefs in its weekly penalty report.

Derek Smith, crew chief of the No. 5 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra, and Dylan Cappello, crew chief of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford F-150, were both fined $2,500 for violating Paragraph 8.8.10.4a of the NASCAR rule book. During post-race inspection Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, both trucks were found to have an unsecured lug nut.