Austin Dillon wins NASCAR Cup Series race after crashing into drivers in controversial finish

RICHMOND, Va. — Austin Dillon crashed into two drivers in front of him on the final lap to win the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday night at Richmond Raceway, setting up one of NASCAR’s most controversial finishes in years.

With Joey Logano leading heavily entering the final turn of the race, Dillon never slowed down for the turn and hit Logano, sending him spinning. Then, as Denny Hamlin passed under the briefly slowed Dillon, the Richard Childress Racing driver hit Hamlin on the right rear and sent him into the wall as well.

“It’s bullshit. There’s no question about it,” said Logano, who finished 19th. “He’s four cars down, not even close. And then he (Hamlin) crashes because of it. And then he’s going to go out there and thank God and praise everything with his kid. It’s a bunch of bullshit. It’s not even close.”

“Man, I get it. I didn’t back off the corner at all. He came in there and hit me. It’s ridiculous that this is the way we race. Unbelievable.”

NASCAR rarely uses rough-driving penalties, so officials allowed the win despite the outrage of other competitors. NASCAR vice president of competition Elton Sawyer later said officials would review the incident and make a ruling later in the week. The precedent NASCAR has set in such situations is not to take away a win after the fact.

“The last lap was very close to the finish line,” Sawyer said. “We will look at every resource available from audio to video; we will listen to the stewards, crew chiefs and drivers. If anything rises to a level where we think we should impose a penalty, we will do so on Tuesday.”

Earlier this year, NASCAR issued a rough driving penalty to Truck Series driver Layne Riggs for hitting Stefan Parsons during a race. It has also suspended drivers in the past for hitting competitors from behind on the right, citing safety concerns.

But NASCAR refused to take any action, at least in the immediate aftermath of the race, regarding Deleon (who is now in the NASCAR playoffs, where it only takes one win to get there).

“The red line has definitely been crossed, but that line is invisible. It’s not defined. I mean, they have rules and regulations for these things, but they don’t take action on them,” Hamlin said.

“Historically, we have not had the habit of cancelling races, but that doesn’t mean this won’t set a precedent in the future,” Sawyer said. “We will have to look at it.”

Dillon was desperate to qualify for the NASCAR playoffs because he entered Richmond 32nd in the standings and had not led a lap all season. He would have won the race before a late caution led to overtime, which would have been a shocking upset.

But the way Dillon handled it sparked controversy. Hamlin was so upset with the way the race ended that he went to NASCAR’s transportation company to speak to officials.

“Obviously it’s wrong, but it’s fair in NASCAR,” Hamlin said. “It’s a different league. There’s no penalties for aggressive driving or anything like that, so it opens up Austin to do whatever he wants. The problem I had was I got stuck in the right rear again. I was minding my own business, and he turned left, hit me in the right rear and blew my damn shoulder out. I don’t know.

“The record book won’t care what happened. He’ll get credit for the win. He won’t go far because you have to pay your dues for things like that, but it’s worth it because they jumped 20 places in the points, so I understand all that. There’s no hard feelings here. I understand that. I just hate that I was a part of it.”

Logano was more vocal in his criticism of Dillon.

“He’s a shitty person, he’s a very bad person. He’s been bad his whole career, and now he’s going to play in the playoffs. I think that’s good for him,” Logano said.

Dillon said he would have preferred not to be overly aggressive, but the high stakes involved in winning forced him to act effectively.

“It’s just the rules of the sport, right?” he said. “That’s what it is. Winning gets you through to the next round. I did what I had to do to cross the start and finish line first.

“I’ve seen Denny and Joey do moves that make people run on the track to win. This is my first chance in two years to win. I drove there and kept all four tires spinning across the start and finish line. For me, I’ve seen a lot of things over the years in NASCAR where people move people. It’s just part of our sport. Remember when Joey said ‘short track racing.’ He knows what it is.”

Members of Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing team have defended their driver, with some even linking him to the late Dale Earnhardt, whose aggressive driving style helped him win six championships while driving for RCR.

“I’ve seen that No. 3 car do that a lot,” said RCR interim competition director Keith Rhoden. “Unfortunately, you have to do what you have to do. He has to make it to the finals.”

Team owner Richard Childress, Dillon’s grandfather, said Logano and Hamlin would have done the same thing if they were in his grandson’s position.

“It’s a race. They did it to him, I promise you,” Childress said. “If he was leading the race, (Logano) would have run him off the road. (Hamlin) would have run him off the road. Either one of them would have done the same thing. I’ve seen it before.”

The win ends a 68-race winless streak for Dillon that dates back to August 2022 at Daytona, and ensures he will be one of 16 drivers competing for the championship when playoffs begin next month.

But the way he got the win also puts a big goal on Dillon’s plate – not that he cares. What had been a miserable, frustrating season before Sunday suddenly turns into a more optimistic outlook.

And if Logano or Hamlin were thinking of taking revenge on his grandson, Childress offered a clear warning.

“All I can say is be prepared, it’s a two-way street. If you kick a dog, it might bite you, but you might get bitten again.”

(Photo: Logan Wheaton/Getty Images)