NASCAR has confirmed that Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill will not face any punishment for an incident at Watkins Glen International that collected Michael McDowell and more than a dozen other drivers.
According to NASCAR SVP of Competition Elton Sawyer, they did not see anything that would rise to the level of a fine, suspension, or points penalty. This incident, as well as multiple others from the weekend, fell into the category of hard racing.
"What I would say to this past weekend, there was some -- in Trucks and Xfinity -- there was some decisions made that I'm sure today and yesterday and even after the races that drivers would look back on," Sawyer told Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday.
"Hard racing, but probably some decisions that when they look back on it, I don't think there was any intentional or malicious intent. But I do believe there were some bad decisions that were made. But that happens in racing from time to time."
The red flag is out on Lap 75 after this incident involving multiple cars. pic.twitter.com/eFyaMo5t0G
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) August 9, 2025
The two main high-profile events of the weekend took place during the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. The first saw Connor Zilisch make contact with Shane van Gisbergen as he blended back onto the track, which spun the New Zealand native into the wall.
This hard hit destroyed the rear of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and ended van Gisbergen's race. Zilisch won the race but later broke his collarbone after a fall in victory lane.
The larger crash, one that sparked criticism from NASCAR fans, saw Hill make contact with McDowell. This took place in Hill's first race back from serving a one-race suspension for an intentional wreck at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
This contact hooked McDowell's No. 11 Chevrolet into the wall in a very narrow section of the road course, and it kicked off a crash that collected a large portion of the field and brought out the red flag for 45 minutes. Two cars nearly flipped in the incident.
The debate in the immediate aftermath of this crash surrounded Hill's intent. The Richard Childress Racing driver denied that he had intentionally hooked McDowell, who drove a Kaulig Racing car. Others accused Hill of making another malicious, suspension-worthy move.
According to Sawyer, NASCAR gathered all available data and took a deeper dive into this crash. The sanctioning body ultimately determined that this incident, as well as the rest from the busy weekend, did not occur due to anything malicious.