“Keep your mouth shut”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. drops blunt verdict on Austin Hill’s response to NASCAR’s interim Indy decision

In a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave his blunt take on NASCAR's decision to suspend Austin Hill for one race. The incident happened during the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Hill and Aric Almirola clashed late in the race.

Following the contact, NASCAR handed Hill a five-lap penalty during the event and then issued a one-race suspension. Earnhardt Jr., shared his views on both the decision and Hill’s response to it.

When asked whether Austin Hill should have been suspended, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave a clear answer, “Yes.” He didn’t hesitate in calling out NASCAR’s inconsistent penalty standards and criticized Hill for pushing back at officials during the radio chatter. According to Earnhardt Jr., Hill should have accepted his punishment quietly.

“I think if you right rear someone and all you get is a five-lap penalty, you kind of keep your mouth shut and keep on going,” Earnhardt Jr. said. [1:25:36 onwards]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes right-rear hooking should always result in a suspension, regardless of speed or track type. His frustration with NASCAR's inconsistency came through when he explained that drivers might now calculate whether they can get away with wrecking someone depending on the conditions.

“So should he be suspended? Yes, I think anybody that write hooks anybody should be suspended. No question.” “Hooking the out of the guy because it's a slow track or we're at a slow corner." That ain't the way it goes. That ain't the way we should look at it.” he added.

The penalty against Austin Hill was officially announced by NASCAR on Tuesday. Hill, who drives the No. 21 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series, will miss the upcoming race at Iowa Speedway. The suspension follows a heated moment during the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis, where Hill retaliated after an earlier nudge from Aric Almirola by turning him into the wall in Turn 4..

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Connor Zilisch’s breakout season draws big praise from Dale Earnhardt Jr. but raises questions about Cup readiness

After his recent win at Indianapolis, Zilisch now has four victories in just nine starts this season. The 19-year-old helped JR Motorsports win its 100th Xfinity Series race and has become one of the most talked-about names in the garage. Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports, believes Zilisch could be on track for a Hall of Fame-worthy career in NASCAR.

During a recent interview, Dale Earnhardt Jr. praised the young driver’s talent but acknowledged the steep learning curve that comes with moving up to the Cup Series. Zilisch, part of Trackhouse Racing's development program, is expected to move into the Cup lineup next season as Daniel Suárez’s time with the team comes to an end.

Earnhardt Jr. said Zilisch has "potential to do incredible, Hall of Fame-worthy things,” but also admitted that adjusting to the Next Gen car will be a big challenge. Speaking to Racer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said,

“I sure would love to have him one more year, but I don’t know with how different the Xfinity car is versus the Cup car.”

He noted that the cost of easing a driver into the Cup Series with part-time starts is often too high. He added,

“You might as well jump right on in there.”

Zilisch has already made three Cup Series starts in 2025. He debuted at Circuit of the Americas but crashed out early. He then started at the Coca-Cola 600 and finally grabbed his best Cup finish—11th place—at Atlanta.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma