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Austin Dillon spun Joey Logano and then crashed Denny Hamlin to get a spot in the playoffs.
Dillon lost the lead to Logano on a green-white-checker restart before spinning Logano on the final lap and hooking Hamlin as Hamlin went for the lead in Turn 4 after Dillon spun Logano.
It was a shameful display of driving by a driver desperate for the playoffs. And though it’s easy to blame Dillon for his actions, the real blame lies with NASCAR, as the sanctioning body refuses to consistently enforce driving standards for its drivers.
“I don’t know man, it’s been two years and this is the first car I’ve had a shot to win,” Dillon said when asked if his actions were fair by NBC.
“I felt like with two to go, we were the fastest car … I hate to do that but sometimes you just got to have it. I have to thank the good Lord above. It’s been tough over the last two years, man. I care about [Richard Childress Racing], my wife, and this is my first … it means a lot. I hate it, but I had to do it.”
Logano was quick to call out what Dillon did.
“That’s chickensh*t, there’s no doubt about it,” Logano said. “Four car lengths back, not even close, then he wrecks [Hamlin] to go along with it and he’s going to go up there and praise God and everything with his baby, it’s a bunch of BS, it’s not even close.”
Logano was even more candid when he wasn’t talking to NBC.
According to The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck, Dillon’s actions were even encouraged by his team radio. Dillon is the grandson of his team owner Richard Childress.
Austin Dillon’s team radio had said “I don’t care how you do it” before he hit Joey Logano and then “Wreck him! Wreck him!” before Denny Hamlin.
“Pop Pop is proud of you,” Richard Childress then said on the radio.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) August 12, 2024
Dillon entered Sunday night’s race 32nd in the points standings. His desperation for a victory happened because he needed it to make the postseason. He had no shot of making the playoffs on points and needed a victory over the last four races of the regular season to qualify for the 16-driver playoffs.
He also got some more help from NASCAR too. At the start of the 2023 season, NASCAR rescinded its rule requiring drivers to be in the top 30 in the standings to be eligible for the playoffs. Had the rule been in place, Dillon would be in real jeopardy of not making the postseason even with his win.
Instead, he’s in, as 13 drivers have victories with three races to go in the regular season.
“Where’s the line? That’s the thing, we have rules against — to prevent ridiculous acts but it’s been a long time since those rules have really been enforced,” Hamlin said. “Didn’t [Truck Series driver Layne Riggs] spin someone out and get a two-lap penalty or some bullsh*t? This is, it’s tough because this is what the young short track racers see and they think this is OK because they watch the professionals on Sunday that are supposed to act like adults just do dumb sh*t and it’s amazing that it’s allowed.”
After not penalizing Austin Dillon for the move on the final lap, Denny Hamlin said NASCAR won’t be taken seriously with officiating. pic.twitter.com/4SbjIrLTZq
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 12, 2024
As Hamlin asked where the line was, NASCAR vice president Elton Sawyer said Sunday night that what Dillon did was “awful close” to NASCAR’s proverbial tipping point.
“Our sport has been a contact sport for a long time,” Sawyer told reporters after the race. “We always hear ‘Where’s the line and did someone cross the line?’
“I would say that the last lap was awful close to the line. We’ll take a look at all the available resources from audio to video. The spotters, we’ll listen to, crew chiefs and drivers and if anything rises to a level that we feel like we need to penalize, then we’ll do that on Tuesday.”
Dillon had legit speed
Let’s get to the nuts and bolts. Dillon had a legitimately fast car that was capable of winning. He was on the way to an easy win before Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun Ryan Preece ahead of Dillon with two laps to go. That was the race’s only caution that wasn’t for a stage break before Dillon spun Hamlin.
The speed that Dillon showed on Sunday night was real. He passed Hamlin on lap 371 and was sailing to the win before that penultimate caution. But that speed doesn’t erase the stain of what happened on the final lap.
Since NASCAR called a caution when Logano hit the wall, Hamlin scored in second while Tyler Reddick finished third and Bubba Wallace was fourth, with Ross Chastain rounding out the top five.
Martin Truex Jr. started on the front row but finished last because of an engine issue. He’s still safely in the playoff field at the moment, but there are two drivers on the bubble behind him. With three regular-season races to go, Wallace and Chastain are in the playoffs, while Chris Buescher would be on the outside.
Race results
1. Austin Dillon
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Tyler Reddick
4. Bubba Wallace
5. Ross Chastain
6. Christopher Bell
7. Kyle Larson
8. Carson However
9. Chase Elliott
10. Daniel Suarez
11. Ryan Blaney
12. Kyle Busch
13. William Byron
14. Josh Berry
15. Michael McDowell
16. Brad Keselowski
17. Todd Gilliland
18. Chris Buescher
19. Joey Logano
20. Noah Gragson
21. Chase Briscoe
22. Ty Gibbs
23. Zane Smith
24. Austin Cindric
25. Ryan Preece
26. Ty Dillon
27. Justin Haley
28. Alex Bowman
29. Erik Jones
30. Daniel Hemric
31. John Hunter Nemechek
32. Harrison Burton
33. Riley Herbst
34. Corey LaJoie
35. Parker Retzlaff
36. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
37. Martin Truex Jr.