“Lost his mind”: Aric Almirola demands NASCAR ban RCR driver for Indianapolis carnage

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star - Source: Imagn
NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Aric Almirola (19) climbs out of his car Saturday, July 26, 2025, during qualifying for the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. - Source: Imagn

Aric Almirola wasn’t happy with the move Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill pulled off on him on Lap 91 of Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The move that Almirola called 'vicious' set him up for a disappointing P35 finish, while Hill ended up 34th, five laps down.

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Almirola addressed the fracas during a post-race interview with Dustin Long of NBC Sports. The drivers were contesting for fourth at the time when Hill’s No. 21 RCR Chevy slid sideways. In an attempt to correct his car, Hill then hit Almirola’s right-rear quarter panel and sent him right into the outside wall.

“It's just unfortunate. Obviously, he lost his mind right there,” Aric Almirola said of Hill. “That's really bad judgment, in my opinion. I'm sure NASCAR will look at it.” (0:51 onwards)
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“That's been the case for a lot of other calls like that, especially at places like this... 90-degree corners where we're going 180 miles an hour, that was really violent,” he added.
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Things didn't just end there. Almirola even demanded on his radio that NASCAR ban Hill from next week's race at Iowa.

(Source: Dalton Hopkins/X)
(Source: Dalton Hopkins/X)

Meanwhile, Connor Zilisch won the race, marking his fifth victory of the season, his third consecutive, and 100th overall for JR Motorsports. Rounding up the top five spots were Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Seig.

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21 races into the season, Aric Almirola sits 22nd in the points series with 338 points to his name. The former Cup Series driver has picked up a win, four top-fives, and six top-10s so far.

Hill, on the other hand, ranks fifth in the standings with 650 points, nine top-fives and 12 top-10s. As things stand, the drivers will face off again next week for the HyVee Perks 250 at Iowa Speedway. Scheduled for Saturday, August 2, the 250-lap event will be televised on the CW Network with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 4:30 PM ET onwards.

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RCR driver Austin Hill reacts to the penalty he received mid-race for wrecking Aric Almirola

NASCAR did not overlook the incident between Aric Almirola and Austin Hill on Lap 91. As a result of the same, the presiding officials issued a five-lap penalty to Hill for reckless driving.

When the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team informed Hill of the penalty, he wasn’t pleased at all. As quoted by journalist Victoria Beaver of Road and Track, the driver said on his team radio,

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“They can go f**** themselves. F*** NASCAR. That’s f***ing bullshit. I’m sideways, I go to correct it back to the left, it gets locked to the left, and I f***ing run into the No. 19."

NASCAR will further review the incident. So, only time will tell if Hill will be handed more than just the five-lap penalty. Besides, one might wonder what his remarks calling out NASCAR could translate into. Maybe a one-race suspension? However, team owner Richard Childress didn't think that the No. 21 team deserved anything as serious.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee
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