NASCAR updates Cup Series playoff standings after Austin Dillon, Joey Logano penalties
NASCAR punished Austin Dillon and Joey Logano for their actions at Richmond, and the playoff standings have been updated. Dillon’s automatic playoff berth has been revoked after he wrecked Logano and Denny Hamlin, which means the final four that are in playoffs are Martin Truex Jr. (13), Ty Gibbs (14), Bubba Wallace (15) and Chris Buescher (16). Ross Chastain (17) is tied with Buescher for the final spot, and he’s followed by Chase Briscoe (18), Kyle Busch (19) and Todd Gilliland (20).
Dillon and his team lost 25 driver and owner points along with the playoff bid, and spotter Brandon Benesch has been suspended for the next three Cup Series races. Logano was fined $50,000 for doing a burnout in front of Dillon’s area on pit road where his family was. He does not lose any playoff points and is ninth in the playoff standings.
More on NASCAR penalties and playoff standings
After the penalties were handed down, NASCAR’s senior VP of competition Elton Sawyer explained why they took the automatic playoff bid from Dillon. “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, per NASCAR.com. “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.”
Sawyer also explained the process of punishing Logano. “Some of this, we’ve got some work to do on our side,” Sawyer said. “There was a lot of people on pit road, and there always is. We have our officials out there. The drivers need to understand that. Totally understand the emotion — I get it, I’ve been there a few years back. But you have to respect the fact that we do have people on pit road. Our officials will be there, security will be there. We’ll do a better job on our side to make sure that families and young children and sponsors and of that nature are not on the hot side.”
NASCAR drivers will have three more Cup Series races to make the playoffs or gain more playoff points. The playoffs begin on Sunday, Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.