In the last lap at Richmond Raceway, Austin Dillon caused collisions with Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano on his way to the winning circle.
Drama filled the finale of Sunday’s race at Richmond Raceway. Drivers battling for the victory and a postseason berth were engulfed in mayhem following an overtime restart.
With barely two laps remaining on the overtime restart, Joey Logano passed Austin Dillon. He moved quickly to open the gap.
Dillon missed the brake pedal in turn three of the last lap, slamming into race leader Logano’s bumper. Logano whirled. Denny Hamlin had been investigating under Dillon following the first incident. Dillon veered to the left, slamming Hamlin into the wall by hooking his right behind.
With two cars down, Dillon survived and drove to victory lane.
“It’s chicken shit! There’s no doubt about it,” Joey Logano told NBC Sports.
NASCAR reacts as Austin Dillon crashes his way to victory lane https://t.co/0EZuuN5Jwj pic.twitter.com/BT7dex0jB1
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“It’s obviously foul. But, it’s fair in NASCAR. We’re just a different league,” Denny Hamlin stated.
Hear from NASCAR below.
Elton Sawyer comments
“We have always been a contact sport,” Elton Sawyer of NASCAR said following the event. “People frequently ask, ‘Where’s the line?'” Did someone step over the boundary, too? The final lap was really close to the line, in my opinion.
We’ll examine every resource that is available, including audio and video. On Tuesday, if anything gets to the point where we think sanctions are necessary, we will take appropriate action.
“Taking wins away hasn’t always been in our DNA. That is not to argue, however, that this would not begin to set a precedent in the future. We would need to examine it.
“It happened quickly. However, that seems to be very close to going too far in my opinion. After the race, Joey Logano got quite heated.
He completed a long burnout in the pit lane adjacent to the No. 3 crew. An official screamed at Logano as he got out of his automobile. “We don’t want to decide incorrectly in a moment of thought.
We’ll examine all that transpired during the final lap and in the aftermath. And determine whether any sanctions are required,” Sawyer said in reference to Logano’s burnout.
