Richard Childress Racing won’t appeal spotter Brandon Benesch’s suspension, names replacement

This weekend when NASCAR lines up to race at Michigan, Richard Childress Racing will have a new spotter on the 3 car. Austin Dillon’s usual spotter, Brandon Benesch was suspended for the rest of the regular season for his comments on the radio, calling on his driver to wreck Denny Hamlin.

Instead of Benesch, Brett Griffin will be Austin Dillon’s eye up above. It is interesting that Richard Childress Racing is not appealing this suspension. RCR has stated they intend to appeal the decision regarding Dillon’s playoff eligibility.

NASCAR decided that, for the actions on the track on the last lap at Richmond, Dillon will not be rewarded with an automatic berth to the playoffs. If Dillon wants to make the postseason, he will have to win at Michigan, Daytona, or Darlington.

Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports shared the news about Griffin hopping on the spotters’ stand. When the regular season ends, Benesch will likely return to his regular role.

Brett Griffin is listed as spotter for Austin Dillon this weekend at Michigan. Team won't ask for deferral of spotter Brandon Benesch's suspension as part of its appeal.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 15, 2024

As for Benesch, RCR is going to let that one slide. It doesn’t matter all that much in the grand scheme, compared to losing a playoff spot. Childress is clearly focused on getting his driver and owner penalties lifted, no need to worry about the spotter being out for a few weeks.

In the aftermath of Richmond, Austin Dillon wasn’t the only driver with a penalty. Joey Logano was fined $50,000 for his actions on pit road post-race. The entire last lap and fallout soon after the finish was a mess.

In the days after the Cook Out 400, drivers, former drivers, media members, and fans all debated the move. Was Dillon in the right? Did he cross the unspoken and invisible line that exists among racers?

It took a few days, but NASCAR finally answered those questions.

Richard Childress Racing hit with precedent-setting penalty

There are times when there is no precedent and one must be set. You can’t always do things the way you have always done them and not every situation is the same. There is a big gap between a racing move and a move of desperation.

NASCAR and its leaders, including senior VP of competition Elton Sawyer, had a decision to make. Would they let that go, and open a Pandora’s Box of consequences? Or would they draw the line and let drivers know this isn’t okay.

Thankfully, they chose the latter.

“Oh absolutely, absolutely [it crossed a line]. This is not something that NASCAR really wants to get in the middle of,” Sawyer said in a video released by NASCAR. “For years we’ve allowed our drivers, and we will continue to allow them to race. Every one of the drivers in those national series garages, Cup level, Xfinity level and Truck level, they understand where the line is.

“They may ask from time to time, where is the line? I guarantee you, when you walk through there and you ask them, they will know where it is. We just felt like in this case, we needed to let them know that we know where the line is as well. This is not something that we’re going to tolerate.”

While NASCAR and stock car racing are about physicality, using your fenders – there is a line. No short track in America would let a driver make a move like that and get away with it. It’s a good thing that NASCAR isn’t going to let it happen either.