re: 2026 NASCAR Season Thread

Today will be interesting to see if any penalties get handed out. Hill has driven like an arse for a long time (and even got suspended), but Shane definitely overdrove entry knowing who was in front. Shane could’ve just been trying to fill that gap.

Either way I won’t be surprised either way. Whether there’s a penalty or not.

I do think they will both be told that this isn’t going to continue.

Update: no penalties.

Last part of sentence is laughable to give them cover. Of course if Nascar is helping or turning a blind eye they won’t find anything.

quote:

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No penalties for intentional wrecking from Chicagoland and the Hamlin and Bowman cars all good at R&D.

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Preece deal has no video proof he hit him.

Also, Hill hit SVG during caution after he came out of pits. He has a bad temper and is a wreckless driver. Glad no penalties but Hill is a loose cannon driving for someone who doesn’t care what he does

Its a clown show. Cost Preece points because he was honest but let SVG slide because he lied. I don’t agree with Preece being penalized and glad none were doled out Sun. But this just shows Nascar is all over the map with zero integrity. Data showed SVG kept in throttle longer than all race. I just hate them picking and choosing what to penalize



Steven Taranto
@STaranto92

NASCAR officials will bring both Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill, as well as Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, to the Hauler on Saturday for a discussion about their respective run-ins at Chicagoland, per the new episode of Hauler Talk.

Per NASCAR's Mike Forde, race control had flagged SVG's spin of Hill as questionable (as well as Zane Smith's contact with Carson Hocevar), and a review of all available resources including SMT data, radio transmission, etc. was conducted. However, "Nothing, in our eyes, proved definitive" that SVG wrecked Hill intentionally.

Hauler Talk more or less acknowledged that NASCAR would have viewed things differently had SVG said something over the radio about Hill (a la Ryan Preece/Ty Gibbs at Texas), but it was also mentioned that NASCAR doesn't necessarily "need" that to make a determination

As a matter of fact, NASCAR's Elton Sawyer met with Hill on Monday and Hill pointed out that he hadn't said anything over the radio last year at Indianapolis, but was still parked for one race after NASCAR ruled he intentionally wrecked Aric Almirola. Granted the circumstances there were somewhat different as it was a right rear hook and NASCAR felt like they had what they needed to determine Hill did it on purpose.

As far as no penalty for Hill dooring SVG under yellow in retaliation, it sounds like that was viewed just as an emotion thing (And apparently, Sawyer said "I would've done the same thing 30 years ago when I was a driver.")

Agreed. No penalties should’ve been handed out at all.

I don’t like what hill did but Elton sawyer said he would’ve done the same thing 30 years ago.

The shite between hill and SVG is over this weekend. I don’t expect Shane to give hill the time of day. Hill on the other hand… big frickin baby.

Will SVG speak to Hill? "I'll talk to him, but he just grunts."

From Bianchii..

Adam Stern
@A_S12

@TNTSportsUS averaged 2.1 million viewers for Sunday's NASCAR Cup return to Chicagoland, the series' first action there since 2019.

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Down 400k from the last Chicago race. Dead even with Chicago street course from last year.

In 2027, The NHRA will hold a year long celebration of the career of John Force.

The 2027 season begins February 18 in Pomona.

My take is SVG did exactly as Preece did. He didn’t lift and cut him a break. Technically not intentional yet avoidable. Looking at his in car he could have lifted. But Hill dive bombed him. Same as Preece. Except Preece was more vocal.

My beef is with Preece getting penalized.

Problem with Nascar is on track skirmishes with no penalties allows talk to be about drivers. That builds sport as fans talk drivers. When Nascar penalizes it changes from driver talk to Nascar talk, bad for sport.

For those that haven’t seen the interview with SVG about this incident


LINK