NASCAR announces penalties from weekend races at Richmond Raceway

NASCAR has announced the penalties coming out of this past Sunday’s controversial Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.

Austin Dillon cannot use his win to qualify for the playoffs after right rear hooking Denny Hamlin on the final lap as the two approached the start-finish line. Dillon’s spotter, Brandon Benesch, was also suspended for three races after yelling ‘Wreck him!’ over the team radio in the final turn of the race.

NASCAR vice president of competition Elton Sawyer commented on the decision after Richmond.

“I think in all due respect to the appeal process, we looked at this and the totality of everything that happened as you enter Turn 3 and as the cars got to the start/finish line,” Sawyer said. “So, as we look through all of that data, we came to the conclusion that a line had been crossed. Our sport has been based going for many, many years, forever, on good, hard racing. Contact has been acceptable. We felt like, in this case, that the line was crossed.”

Joey Logano, also intentionally wrecked by Dillon on that final lap, has been fined $50,000 for revving his engine on pit road after the race near a crowd of people which included Dillon’s wife and kid.

Dillon, who took the checkered flag after wrecking Logano and then Hamlin immediately after, took issue with Logano taking out his frustrations on pit road in front of his wife and daughter.

“The only thing that did piss me off about Joey was when he came through there, my wife and kid were headed across to get to cross, and he revved the engine up right in front of my kid and Johnny Morris and those people,” Dillon told Kevin Harvick on his “Happy Hour” podcast Monday. “I get it. You got to be mad and upset but do it like in an interview or talk to me about it. You got to be careful on pit road with that type of stuff.”

The ethics of Dillon’s race winning moves will long be debated but in Logano’s mind, it’s clear: He believes it was a “chickenshit” move.

“No, when you get that far ahead, three four car lengths ahead in three. I didn’t back up the entry, I was like, ‘I’ll just wrap the bottom here, I’m good.’ And he just drives in so hard,” Logano said, via Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut. “Obviously, he didn’t make the turn because he hit me and the 11 was going to win the race. So, he had no intention to race. I beat him fair and square on the restart and he just pulled a chickenshit move. He’s a piece of crap, he sucks. He’s sucked his whole career, and now he’s going to be in the playoffs and good for him, I guess.”

Austin Dillon explains thought process on final lap at Richmond

For Dillon, it wasn’t a matter of right and wrong. Entering Sunday’s race 32nd in the points standings, Dillon simply needed to win to become playoff bound — no matter how he got there.

“I saw the caution. I couldn’t believe it,” Dillon said after the race. “Don’t know why that had to happen, but I told myself, ‘Hey look, you’re in a position to win, stay focused.’ Pit crew did a good job, put me where I needed to be. The restart, I thought the No. 22 fired pretty early. And he was able to be even with me, getting into Turn 1. His car was a little better on the reds. When we went into Turn 3, at the end, I just had to go for it.

“I went in, sent it in there, got him loose up the track. And then I was able to down-shift and get left, and I saw the No. 11 come across. At that time it was a reaction, but yeah, it’s part of this deal. You win and you’re in, and that was my opportunity.”