NASCAR team chief hints at conspiracy as driver faces race suspension

NASCAR team owner Richard Childress has hinted at a bias in judgements against his organization.

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill was penalized on Saturday during the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis, after he wrecked into the No. 19 car Aric Almirola.

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A number of drivers and pundits have come out against Hill's move, with Cup Series veteran Kyle Larson calling it 'extremely intentional' from his point of view running the race, while Almirola said later that the wreck was 'definitely intentional'.

Team owner Childress has now joined the conversation, insisting that his driver shouldn't receive a suspension for the incident on the 2.5 mile oval and referencing a Cup Series incident at COTA in March when Austin Cindric was issued a 50-point penalty and fined $50,000 for intentionally spinning the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Ty Dillon, Childress’ grandson.

He also implied that his organization is treated unfairly for being a 'blue collar team', a suitably baffling statement from a man worth an estimated quarter of a billion dollars whose family is as embedded into the fabric of the sport as any other.

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Childress: NASCAR punishments about 'who you are'

Speaking about the merits of a potential suspension for Hill, he said: “Hell no. They didn’t do a damn thing to the 2 car (Austin Cindric) when he wrecked Ty and admitted to it – drove him in the right rear and wrecked him at COTA. It’s who you are. We’re a blue-collar team. They give us trouble all the time."

His driver didn't do him any favors on the radio when he was informed of his five-lap penalty for an excessive move, ranting: "They can go f*** themselves. F*** NASCAR. That is f****** bulls*** … I’m f****** sideways, I go to correct it back to the left. It’s locked to the left and I run into the No. 19."

Childress himself debuted in the Cup Series in 1969, scabbing as a promoted driver from the NASCAR Grand American Series when all but three Cup Series drivers held to a Talladega boycott organized by the now-defunct Professional Driver Association (PDA) over safety issues.

If Hill is suspended for a race, he would require NASCAR to grant him a waiver in order to compete in this year's Xfinity Series playoffs. A decision on any potential suspension is expected on Wednesday.

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