Denny Hamlin rejects notion he was 'victim of circumstance' in Austin Dillon's right-rear hook at Richmond

Denny Hamlin doesn’t believe he was a victim of circumstance when he was wrecked by Austin Dillon, and he doesn’t have any sympathy for the No. 3 wheelman.

NASCAR made the decision to take away Dillon’s playoff eligibility, which he gained after his win at Richmond last weekend, due to the nature of his victory. Speaking with the media on Saturday, Hamlin explained why he’s of the belief that it was the right move, and that Dillon had to pay for his actions.

“No, because Austin made a left-hand turn to avoid — after he made contact with the No. 22, made a left turn to correct his course, straightened his course, and turned left again,” Hamlin said, asked if he was more of a victim of the situation Dillon was in last weekend, pushing back against that notion, via Jerry Jordan of Kickin The Tires.

“So, there were two — you know, if you can read the graph, there was a big left, straight, big left again. Trust me, I do this for a living.”

One of Hamlin’s biggest gripes was that he was right-rear hooked, which has become a buzzword for suspensions over the last couple of seasons in the Cup Series. While Hamlin doesn’t believe Dillon necessarily meant to hook him, he was simply trying to make contact, and it all went awry.

“I think he’s just trying to make contact,” Hamlin added, regarding the wreck. “Again, I can’t see him, because I have a big, right-side headrest. But I know he’s kind of coming down. But he’s able to see me, because of the visibility, you know, the window net there, so he’s able to see me passing him, and I think more than likely, when he’s getting told to come down, he’s doing what he’s told, and then when he sees me, he’s trying to make contact, but at that point, I nearly had him cleared.

“So, yeah, it’s just, the right rear is just the vulnerable spot that puts you in a bad wreck situation.”

Moving forward, it’ll be fascinating to see how NASCAR polices any other similar situations, but Denny Hamlin has been steadfast in his reasonings against Austin Dillon. It’s tough to argue with what he’s been spewing, but the No. 3 wheelman won’t have much love for the veteran wheelman in the future, it seems.