NASCAR Race Highlights: Austin Dillon’s Controversial Richmond Win Causes a Stir

RICHMOND, Va. — Austin Dillon sealed his spot in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Playoffs in controversial fashion as he wrecked both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap Sunday at Richmond Raceway.

Dillon was comfortably ahead when the caution came out with two laps to go, setting the stage for a two-lap race to the finish. Logano started alongside Dillon and led the race on the restart.

In the final two turns, Dillon hit the back of Logano, who swerved. Dillon then spun onto the track as Hamlin leaned into him and ended up hitting Hamlin from the right rear.

Great finish! Austin Dillon secures overtime win at Cookout 400

Entering the race, Dillon was 32nd in the points standings in a miserable year. He now has a spot in the 16-driver playoffs.

“Winning gets you to the next round,” Dillon said. “I did what I had to do to get across the start and finish line first… A lot of people lose their jobs because they don’t get across the start and finish line first.”

Hamlin did not believe logic should be sufficient reason for officials not to take action on what he felt was excessively aggressive driving.

“We will never be taken seriously as a sport because we don’t have real refereeing,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin spoke to NASCAR officials after the race. Before that, he said the nature of NASCAR’s playoff system, which is based on winning and qualifying, creates moments and decisions that cause drivers to do things that, in his opinion, should not be allowed.

“We came here because this is what we set up for,” Hamlin said. “We set up eliminations, playoffs, knockouts, one race for the championship. We try to manufacture these moments, and when we do that and look stupid like we did tonight, the sport gets muddied.”

“But I think there might be people in [NASCAR headquarters in] Daytona, who loves this nonsense, is sending this sport backwards.”

Lugano? Not happy either.

“He’s a shitty person, he’s a bad person, he’s been bad all his career, and now he’s going to qualify for the finals, that’s good for him, I think,” said Logano.

Joey Logano Upset Over Austin Dillon’s Overtime Move to Win Cook Out 400

Race recap: Hamlin finished second, followed by Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Ross Chastain.

nascar review

NASCAR will review the final lap, including a radio transmission from Dillon’s spotter saying, “Hit him, squish him.” Dillon said he did not hear that instruction.

“That last lap was horrific right near the finish line,” said NASCAR Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer. “We’ll look at every resource available from audio to video — and we’ll hear from the stewards, the crew chiefs and the drivers.

“If anything rises to a level where we think we need to punish it, we will do so on Tuesday.”

It is common for NASCAR to not win a race in the days following the event.

“Historically, we have not been in the habit of cancelling races, but that doesn’t mean this won’t set a precedent in the future,” Sawyer said. “We will have to look at it.”

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Elton Sawyer on potential penalties for Austin Dillon

Dillon’s View

Dillon said he intended to move Logano and then reacted when Hamlin got underneath him.

“I was just trying to get to him,” Dillon said of Logano. “I went into Turn 3 in fifth gear and I just drove, tried to get him free, pushed him back onto the track. I slowed down, and the car actually spun pretty good when I did that.”

When I turned back to the left, it was number 11. [of Hamlin] “It was coming. It was just a reaction. … I wasn’t lifting at that moment because I was looking more at the 22 place. When he crossed 11, it was just a reaction.”

Dillon ended a 68-race winless streak with the win. Dillon, the driver of the No. 3 car made famous by Dale Earnhardt, has always had the lights on with that number, as his grandfather is team owner Richard Childress.

NASCAR Cup Series: Cook Out 400 Highlights

“If he was the one driving it, that would have been 22 [of Loagno] “It could have gotten him out of the way,” Childress said. “It could have been 11. [of Hamlin] He could have gotten him out of the way.

“They could have done the same thing. I’ve seen it before.”

Logano, Hamlin frustrated

Logano said he believes he has such a big advantage over Dillon that he believes he will win the race.

“He came in really hard — obviously didn’t make the turn,” Logano said. “He hit me, and then he hit me in the 11th minute.” [of Hamlin] He would have won the race. He had no intention of racing. I beat him fairly on the restart, but he made a stupid move.

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“Where’s the line?” – Denny Hamlin questions NASCAR officiating after Cookout 400

Hamlin said he thought he would finish third, but “I knew the three [of Dillon] “He was going to do something silly.”

“I don’t blame him because he’s completely desperate,” Hamlin said. “He’s 30th in points. But he jumped 20 spots in points… He saved his season.”

“Now he’s going to have to pay for this in the future, and you know that, but it’s worth it from his point of view because there are no barriers or rules saying, ‘Don’t do that.’”

Bob Pokras covers NASCAR for Fox Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including more than 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @Grasshopper Tree.

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