Austin Dillon says he meant to hit Joey Logano, accidentally made contact with Denny Hamlin on last lap in Richmond

Austin Dillon is speaking out on wrecking Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin at the Richmond NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday. During the post-race press conference, Dillon said he meant to hit Logano since he was the race leader, but he also said he accidentally made contact with Hamlin.

“I was just trying to get to him,” Dillon said about wrecking Logano, per Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut. “I went into Turn 3 in fifth gear and drove in, tried to get him loose and got him off the track. I got the car downshifted and the car actually turned pretty good when I did that.

“And then when I was coming back, the 11 (Hamlin) was coming, and that was kind of a reaction. The 22 (Logano) was trying to get him loose. But the 11 was more of a reaction, and I wasn’t lifting at that point because I was more looking at where the 22 was. When the 11 came across it was just a reaction.”

Before the race Dillon was near the bottom of the standings, meaning the only way he could earn a playoff spot was by getting a win. He would have won the race outright, but Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wrecked his car with two laps remaining, which led to the race going into overtime. During overtime, Logano got the lead, which then led to Dillon wrecking Logano and Hamlin during the final lap.

Austin Dillon said he ‘got to have it’ after wrecking Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin

“I don’t know, man. It’s been two years. This is the first car I’ve had with a shot to win,” Dillon said after the race. “I felt like with two to go, we were the fastest car. Obviously had to have a straightaway. Wrecked the guy. I hate to do that, but sometimes you just got to have it. I got to thank the good Lord above. It’s been tough for the last two years, man. I care about RCR, these fans, my wife. This is my first for my baby girl. It means a lot. I hate it, but I had to do it.”

Dillon’s victory on Sunday was the first since earning a P1 finish during the final regular season race at Daytona in 2022. In his career, the 34-year-old has won five Cup Series races, including the 2018 Daytona 500. Dillon is the grandson of Richard Childress who owns Richard Childress Racing (RCR).