NASCAR made its much-anticipated return after a two-week hiatus for the Olympics, and the action at Richmond Raceway was nothing short of electrifying. The race concluded with a nail-biting finish, as Austin Dillon claimed victory, but not without causing a stir by colliding with two competitors, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, along the way.
Both Hamlin and Logano were less than pleased with Dillon’s aggressive tactics. Hamlin felt that Dillon had crossed a line, while Logano expressed his outrage, labeling the incident as complete nonsense.
In a surprising turn of events, Austin Dillon emerged as the unexpected victor at Richmond. Prior to the Olympic break, he was languishing in 32nd place in the standings, seemingly out of playoff contention. However, this win catapulted him into 13th place, reigniting his hopes for the postseason.
Despite the triumph, the manner in which Dillon secured his victory sparked considerable debate among fans and drivers alike.
In the closing laps, Austin Dillon was in the lead, closely followed by Denny Hamlin. However, a caution with only two laps remaining caused Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece to spin out of turn 1, right in Dillon’s way. When the race resumed, Dillon lost his position to Joey Logano. Seizing the moment, Dillon didn’t hesitate to give Logano a little bump, sending him into a spin.
As Dillon battled for the victory, Denny Hamlin surged forward from behind. In a twist of fate, Dillon inadvertently sent Hamlin’s No. 11 car crashing into the outside wall, ultimately securing the win for himself. “I don’t know, man, it’s been two years, and this is the first car I’ve had a shot to win with,” Dillon admitted when questioned about the fairness of his moves against Logano and Hamlin.
Unsurprisingly, Hamlin was not pleased with Dillon’s tactics and expressed his discontent during the post-race interview, highlighting the ongoing debate in NASCAR about the ethics of wrecking or intentionally pushing competitors. The JGR driver nearly took aim at NASCAR and its regulations regarding how Dillon managed to clinch his victory.
He remarked, “I got caught up in the right rear again. I was just going about my race in turn 1. The record books won’t care about what transpired; he’s got the victory, but clearly, he won’t go far because you have to earn your stripes with actions like that.” Meanwhile, Logano mirrored Hamlin’s sentiments but with a sharper edge, reflecting on what could have been his second win, which ultimately ended in a P19 finish.
Adding to the tension was the Team Penske driver, who was so close to taking the checkered flag. In a post-race interview in the pit lane, he expressed his frustration, stating, “That’s absolutely ridiculous, no question about it. He was four car lengths behind, nowhere near. Then he takes out the 11 on top of that.” Logano also issued a warning for future races, saying, “Just wait and see how I race him next time.”
On a brighter note for Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, NASCAR’s VP of Competition, Elton Sawyer, mentioned, “We’ll review all available resources… If anything warrants a penalty, we’ll address it on Tuesday.”
In the midst of all this drama, Hamlin also touched on NASCAR’s usual leniency regarding such incidents, which is often accepted as part of the sport. But is that the right approach? Should a driver be permitted to wreck another if they’ve successfully executed an overtaking maneuver?
In a dramatic conclusion, Logana was the unfortunate victim, going from a strong lead in P1 to finishing in 19th place through no fault of his own. Hamlin expressed his frustration over the lack of penalties for aggressive driving in NASCAR, stating, “There are no consequences for rough driving, which allows Austin to act without restraint.”
During the interview, Hamlin elaborated on how, despite existing guidelines, no real actions are taken. He remarked, “A line was definitely crossed, but it’s an invisible one that isn’t clearly defined. They have rules and provisions for situations like this, yet they rarely enforce them.” Hamlin pointed out that this issue also trickles down to the lower series, like Xfinity and Truck, emphasizing, “That’s why we see the outcomes we do in those series; they’re witnessing the top drivers on Sundays engaging in such behavior.”
Despite the setbacks, it was still a positive day for RCR and their team. At least they have one driver still in the championship hunt.
Denny Hamlin Criticizes NASCAR’s Obvious ‘Respect’ Rejection While Giving Austin Dillon a 5-Word Caution.
