Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing celebrated their first win of the season, qualifying for the playoffs. Although the victory at Richmond Raceway was disputed, it seemed that NASCAR did not interfere with the outcome of the race. But surprisingly, they took a hard line, drawing the line and making an example of Dillon by stripping him of a playoff spot.
The move was indeed a blow to the No. 3, who had struggled to score well in his previous 22 attempts. In addition, the team also lost $2 million in earnings after making the playoffs. However, it seems that RCR will not withdraw from this fight, but plans to appeal the decision. With the hope of renewing their team status in the race for the playoffs. But there is another course of action that suits Austin Dillon and his team better, according to veteran driver Martin Truex Jr.
Real opportunities are available for him, according to Martin Truex Jr.
NASCAR took three long days to gather all the evidence and resources, then gave its verdict Thursday on the consequences that the No. 1 team will face. 3. It was a pretty complicated decision, considering this is the first time NASCAR has chosen to step in and revoke a driver’s playoff eligibility. Even if he appeals, there’s a good chance NASCAR will stand firm, especially after explaining the penalty in detail.
However, Dillon still has the right to make one last sprint into the playoffs with three races remaining in the regular season. And that’s exactly what Truex Jr. he wants the RCR driver to focus on battling NASCAR officials instead.
Speaking on Dale Jr Download, the veteran JGR driver was put on notice and asked how he was dealing with the situation the RCR team is facing at the moment. Stating that he would not appeal the decision, MTJ said: “Well, I won’t, but that’s just me. I don’t know what I’m going to do. There could be a good reason why they appealed and had this decision overturned.
I have to dig deep and try to prove everyone wrong by winning one of these next three races… So my goal would be to focus. Let’s do it in one of these next three races and win to be legitimate. But I can’t say what he will do. Martin Truex Jr. he said on the podcast.
Well, MTJ’s advice is really practical, and given the team’s track record in future tracks, they’re right to be optimistic about their chances. RCR and Austin Dillon are still racing There is always that element of surprise and encounter in superspeedway circuits. Daytona International Speedway has produced some surprise winners recently. Fortunately for Dillon, he was one of the lucky ones to pass the selection process. In 2018, he was able to hold off a late charge from Denny Hamlin and Aric Almirola to claim his first Dayton 500 victory.
And in the Next Gen era, he was able to achieve similar results again, this time in the fall race just before the start of the playoffs in 2022. Also, don’t count Kyle Busch out of the equation. Imagine that his team does not. 8 would have a setup similar to Dillon’s in the next three races. Once again, one of Rowdy’s three wins in 2023 came at the Superspeedway circuit. Maybe they should get together like Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher did last year and take one of the teams to the playoffs. Although they plan to appeal the penalty decision, RCR’s sole focus must now be on preparing for this weekend’s race.
