Bubba Wallace didn’t mince words when he took aim at Austin Dillon following the dramatic and controversial finish to the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on Sunday. The 30-year-old driver, visibly frustrated after the race, spoke to NBC Sports and openly criticized Dillon for what he saw as reckless and unsportsmanlike behavior, particularly Dillon’s involvement in wrecks with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, which ultimately led to Dillon’s victory.
“We’ve got to keep fighting, but it’s frustrating when you see someone just dump another driver and take them out, and it’s somehow considered okay,” Wallace said. “It’s funny how things work out like that.” When asked about his own position in the playoff standings, sitting just three points above the cut line with three races remaining, Wallace couldn’t resist a jab at Dillon: “In by three, got beat by the three. That was a chickenshit move.”
While Wallace was clearly displeased with how Dillon secured his much-needed win, it wasn’t all bad news for him. He managed to finish fourth, which significantly bolstered his chances of clinching a playoff spot. Still, Wallace is acutely aware that maintaining this position will require him to keep up his strong performance for the rest of the month. The pressure is on, and he knows that every race counts as the season winds down.
NASCAR Must Take a Stand: Austin Dillon’s Dirty Victory at Richmond Needs to Be Stripped
NASCAR has long been criticized for its reputation as “WWE on wheels,” where drama and controversy often overshadow sportsmanship and fair play. The events of Sunday’s race at Richmond Raceway did little to challenge that perception, as Austin Dillon’s actions on the track were nothing short of flagrant and dangerous.
In a calculated move, Dillon intentionally drove into the back of Joey Logano, spinning him out for the lead as they approached Turn 3. But he didn’t stop there. As the race neared its conclusion, Dillon then clipped the right rear of Denny Hamlin’s car as they both headed for the finish line, allowing Dillon to claim victory in the Cook Out 400.
This win catapulted Dillon, who was a dismal 32nd in Cup Series points before the race, straight into a playoff spot. But this success should come with an asterisk. NASCAR has a responsibility to enforce the rules of fair competition and should consider penalizing Dillon for his reckless driving. While such a penalty is unlikely and would be nearly unprecedented in the sport, it’s a necessary step to maintain the integrity of the competition.
For years, NASCAR has struggled with inconsistency in penalizing drivers for intentional wrecks. Sometimes, a driver is parked or suspended, while other times, they face no consequences. The inconsistency even extends to whether an admission of guilt is required to trigger a penalty. This lack of a clear and consistent standard has led to the current situation, where drivers can take extreme measures to win, knowing the consequences might be minimal or nonexistent.
Some might argue that Dillon is simply playing the game within the system NASCAR has created—a system that arguably encourages aggressive, win-at-all-costs driving, particularly with the current playoff format. This format has, in some cases, allowed drivers who wouldn’t traditionally qualify to make the postseason, which raises questions about its fairness and the kind of behavior it incentivizes.
However, this doesn’t excuse Dillon’s actions. Every sport operates under an unwritten code of conduct, where certain lines aren’t crossed, no matter what’s at stake. Dillon not only crossed that line, but he also obliterated it, jeopardizing the safety of multiple drivers just to secure his place in a postseason where he is unlikely to go far anyway.
It’s also important to remember that this isn’t the first time Dillon has resorted to such tactics. In 2022, he drove straight through Austin Cindric to win at Daytona in the regular season finale. He’s also infamous for wrecking Aric Almirola in the final lap of the 2018 Daytona 500 to claim victory, although that incident could be viewed as a case of hard racing gone wrong rather than a deliberate act of malice.
What happened at Richmond, however, is clear-cut. It was an egregious display of unsportsmanlike behavior, and NASCAR must send a strong message that such conduct will not be tolerated. The sanctioning body should strip Dillon of his win and disqualify him from the playoffs, setting a precedent that there is no place for dirty tactics in the sport. Failing to do so will only reinforce the perception that NASCAR is more concerned with entertainment than the integrity of the competition.
