In NASCAR, danger isn’t just a possibility. It’s practically baked into the track. From wild restarts to last-lap chaos, high-speed risks are part of the show. But now and then, someone crosses the line from aggressive to downright dangerous. Remember Ross Chastain’s wall ride? That was gutsy. A right-rear hook at full speed, though? Just asking for disaster. And while the crashes might make headlines, it’s what NASCAR does (or doesn’t do) afterward that lights a fire.

Lately, fans and drivers alike have been raising eyebrows at how penalties are (or aren’t) handed out. And now, Hall of Famer Mark Martin isn’t just voicing concern. He’s issuing a directive. Now, this one calls out the system, the inconsistency, and yes, a certain rising star from Richard Childress Racing.

Kevin Harvick slams NASCAR’s inconsistency.

We all know that Kevin Harvick isn’t one to sugarcoat things. And when it comes to dangerous on-track behavior, he’s had enough of NASCAR’s wavering response. Pointing to the growing list of right-rear hook incidents, Harvick delivered a clear message. NASCAR is mishandling discipline, and the consequences could be far worse than just torn-up sheet metal.

“When I look back at all this right rear hooking,” Kevin Harvick said, “NASCAR 100 percent dropped the ball on Austin Cindric at COTA.” That March incident at Circuit of The Americas saw Cindric retaliate after Ty Dillon ran him wide in Turn 20. On the frontstretch, Austin Cindric appeared to intentionally hook Ty Dillon’s right-rear quarter panel. Yet despite the blatant move, he avoided suspension, receiving only a 50-point penalty and a $50,000 fine.

To Kevin Harvick, that non-suspension set a dangerous precedent. “Where they’re going wrong… when Austin Cindric hooked Ty Dillon at COTA and they did the same thing wrong at Indy, you should just park them. Put them in the garage. Day’s over. That’s the penalty.” His frustration escalated after Austin Hill’s July 26th wreck with Aric Almirola at Indianapolis.

Hill, driving for Richard Childress in the Xfinity Series, was hit with only a five-lap penalty for reckless driving after Almirola was slammed into the wall. The portion of the wall Almirola contacted was not protected by SAFER barriers. Almirola later said, “That was violent, to be honest. That’s one of the hardest hits I’ve taken in my NASCAR career. The impact felt very similar to when I broke my back. I’d be very interested to see the black-box data from that crash, but it was vicious and that’s just uncalled for.”

Kevin Harvick says the Hill incident, like Cindric’s, deserved harsher consequences as it looked intentional. But, given that Hill drives for Richard Childress, one of NASCAR’s most influential team owners, Harvick suspects favoritism may have played a role in the leniency. And with the inconsistencies, “That’s where all the criticism will come from,” Harvick pointed out.

NASCAR community wants Austin Hill parked

But if you think Kevin Harvick was the only one pushing for accountability, think again. The outrage didn’t stop with just a few strong words from the NASCAR veteran. Aric Almirola’s No. 19 team, too, is urging NASCAR to suspend Austin Hill following the reckless and widely condemned incident.

The team expressed that Hill’s move was intentional and “really poor judgment,” calling for a suspension in line with precedents set by NASCAR for similar dangerous actions. Almirola himself stated, “It was definitely intentional… He was blocking me multiple times… It was time to go, and he just turned left and hooked me in the right rear.”

Several NASCAR insiders agree. Tommy Baldwin called Hill’s action ‘bulls***’ and advocated for a suspension. “This happens all the time with Austin. He loses his cool soon as somebody messes with him a little bit, he should be suspended. That was, could have been devastating,” he said.

Despite the backlash, Richard Childress, Hill’s team owner, defended his driver. He claimed that NASCAR’s enforcement is inconsistent and disapproved of the calls for suspension. “Hell, no. They didn’t do a damn thing to the No. 2 car (Austin Cindric). He wrecked Ty (Dillon) 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,” Childress said.

Hill, meanwhile, vehemently denied intentionality, but his expletive-laced reaction to the penalty raised eyebrows. With racing safety paramount, the No. 19 team and much of the NASCAR community await NASCAR’s final ruling on a potential suspension for Hill. What do you think? What should be the line between hard racing and dangerous retaliation and has NASCAR already let it blur too far?