Denny Hamlin beat Richard Childress Racing after Austin Dillon’s penalty. The Chevrolet team expressed how disappointed it was that NASCAR stripped Dillon of a playoff spot after Sunday’s Cook Out 400. On that note, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver revealed that his frustration with Dillon, after the latter destroyed him, was much greater.
Austin Dillon won a Cup race for the first time in nearly two years on Sunday. However, the victory came at the expense of Joey Logano of Hamlin and Team Penske. As the field moved through turns 3 and 4, Dillon spun twice en route to Richard Childress Racing’s first win of the season, also his first at Richmond Raceway since 2013. Unfortunately, on Wednesday, NASCAR said Austin Dillon they keep their win, but that doesn’t make them eligible for the playoffs.
He also dropped 25 points in the owner and driver standings. That dropped Dillon from 26 to 31 in the latest rankings. Therefore, the disappointment for the No. 3 team was completely natural. They released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) saying they disagree with the decision and plan to appeal. “Richard Childress Racing is very disappointed with the NASCAR penalty against the No. 3 team. We do not agree with the decision that was made and the appeal plan,” RCR posted. A few minutes later, Denny Hamlin retweeted the same statement and said: “I’m not as disappointed as I was in turn 4.”
Denny Hamlin finished P2 behind Austin Dillon. Currently, he is 4th in the Cup Series standings with 758 points to his name. He has three wins this season, in addition to nine top 5s and ten top 10s, Hamlin’s next race will be at Michigan International Speedway on August 18.
Denny Hamlin finished P2 behind Austin Dillon. Currently, he is 4th in the Cup Series standings with 758 points to his name. He has three wins this season in addition to nine top 5s and ten top 10s. Hamlin’s next race will be at Michigan International Speedway on August 18th.
Dale Jr. analyze the late verdict on Dillon’s motion against Denny Hamlin
In the latest episode of Dale JR Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr. criticized NASCAR for not calling Dillon’s maneuver unacceptable immediately after the race. It took more than two days for NASCAR to reach a decision, and according to the NASCAR veteran, such events make it “more difficult for them to ask for higher expectations in the future.”
“I don’t think it matters what happened to 11 (Denny Hamlin),” Earnhardt said (17:35). “He definitely crossed the line. This may be a missed opportunity for NASCAR to respond at this time.” That said, Dale Jr. explained why NASCAR may have been slow to announce the penalty for Dillon. If NASCAR had outlawed Dillon’s move on Sunday and given the win to Denny Hamlin, who finished P2, everyone would have agreed. But what would this decision do, especially in the long run?
“NASCAR has probably been reluctant to answer because what are the ramifications and domino effects?” Junior said. “What are the negatives?… I mean… The driver’s code is not written, it’s not black and white for you to read. It’s just, ‘Hey man, treat me with respect.'” Make rules that they can feel them tangibly And then where you stop to know what is legal and what is not legal in those moments, is the hardest part, I think, for NASCAR, “he said. Although Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano both criticized Dillon’s winning move, Richard Childress defended the Chevy star during the post-race press conference. Dillon said everything he did to Hamlin was purely instinctive and not intentional.
