Is Dale Jr. correct when he criticizes NASCAR for their hypocrisy about Austin Dillon’s unjust penalties? Lately, NASCAR has been the subject of considerable investigation.
There has been a lot of criticism, ranging from accusations that they delayed their decision following the Richmond Raceway incident to repeated appeals from Richard Childress Racing challenging their decision. And there will be more in the future!The latest to criticize the sanctioning body for its lack of consistency in handling Austin Dillon is Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In the process of winning his first race at the Federated Auto Parts 400, the 32-year-old wrecked Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, losing him playoff status and 25 points.
The former driver has questioned NASCAR’s inconsistent penalty-giving practices, saying that problems that occur on the track must reach a certain threshold before the organization decides to eventually take action. He made this assertion in an interview with the Dale Jr Download podcast.
Dale Earnhardt Jr highlights NASCAR’s double standards
Austin Dillon crashed not one, but two vehicles en route to Michigan’s Victory Lane. At the end of the race, Joey Logano took the lead going into Turns 3 and 4, following the yellow that was issued due to an incident involving Ryan Preece and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Before the overtime break, Dillon had a commanding lead.
In an attempt to regain it, he made contact with Logano’s No. 22 Ford Mustang, which crashed into the wall. Denny Hamlin attempted to take advantage of the situation as well, but Austin Dillon hooked him, sending his No. 11 Toyota into a spin.
Speaking about Austin Dillon’s collision on the last lap of the Federated Auto Parts 400, Dale Jr. expressed his opinions concerning NASCAR’s inconsistent penalty-issuing policy.The 49-year-old added, “I’m going to tell you, if you want to spin one car out, that’s perfectly fine,” in an interview with Dale Jr. podcast.
That has never presented an issue. It’s when you do two, I believe. That occurs when you attempt a two-fer. One ruin can be caused; two cannot be destroyed.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the site of the exhibition race since 2022, will no longer host NASCAR’s preseason Clash event. Instead, Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina will host the race. Dale Jr. continued, speculating about possible outcomes at the renowned location, saying,
“You know what’s going to happen? Additionally, this has been entertaining as well as a little aggravating. There will be a dumped person at the Bowman Gray clash. The winner won’t suffer any consequences if someone is shifted or even spun out.
Although there have been numerous Cup Series events at the track between 1958 and 1971, no points will be awarded this time. Since that it won’t have an impact on driver standings or playoff status for the future season, it will be fascinating to see how it might influence NASCAR’s handling of on-track events.
Will the sanctioning authority subject other people to the same standard and use Austin Dillon’s incidents as a precedent? Or would they handle each instance of a similar circumstance separately? We’ll find out in time.
Older NASCAR fans will remember the days when the preseason Clash event was hosted in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; that was until 2022. The race is scheduled for February 2, 2025, and maybe Mother Nature will behave herself this time to avoid a replay of the rain-plagued 2023 event, which saw a startling 58.6% decline in viewership.
Dale Jr. thinks that the bitter-sweet triumph at Richmond for Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing will further compound their numerous frustrations this season.
