Austin Dillon won in a contentious manner on Sunday night at Richmond Raceway.
The Richard Childress Racing wheelman knew that a win was the only way the No. 3 was going to the playoffs, so he took advantage of the situation by spinning Joey Logano and hooking Denny Hamlin approaching the start-finish line.
That does not imply that everyone is content with it.
Along with a few other drivers and fans, Logano and Hamlin have been advocating for Dillon to face consequences, and there has even been discussion about docking his Richmond victory.
Dillon shared his opinions on that subject with the media following the race.
Dillon called out what appeared to be a double standard, saying, “I’ve seen Denny and Joey make moves that have been you know, running people up the track to win,” per Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut.
“I drove in there and kept all four tires turning across the start-finish line; it was my first chance to win in the last two years.
“It’s just a part of our sport, you know? I’ve witnessed a lot of things in NASCAR over the years where people move people. Recall that time, Joey said, when he knew what short track racing was.
In your position, how would you respond? Although Dillon drives the No. 3, it’s ironic that NASCAR has previously celebrated instances like Dillon’s victory.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. is arguably most known for wrecking drivers as they approach the finish line.
Elton Sawyer, a NASCAR executive, is now in a difficult situation.
For a very long time, our sport has been a contact sport. “Where’s the line, did someone cross the line?” is a common question you hear. According to Sawyer, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, “I would say the last lap was awful close to the line.
We’ll take a look at all of the available resources from audio to video, listen to spotters, we’ll listen to crew chiefs and drivers, and if anything rises to a level that we feel like we need to penalize then we’ll do that on Tuesday.”
“As we usually do in a situation like this, we’ll review all of the available resources, examine audio, video, and SMT data, and make a decision on Tuesday.”
Though Sawyer noted that “historically that hasn’t been our DNA to take races away, that’s not to say that going forward this wouldn’t start to set a precedent, we’d have to look at it,” fans of Dillon may still be dissatisfied.
Unfortunately, Austin Dillon was the first vehicle to grab the checkered flag even if he didn’t win Richmond easily.
Although he may have some dirt on his hands, it might be too much to ask to take away his victory, and it would be astonishing if NASCAR were to do so.
