Austin Dillon’s Richmond result ‘too exaggerated,’ says Cup champion Ryan Blaney
There are chaotic finishes and then there’s what Austin Dillon did last weekend at the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.
In the final turn of the race, Dillon pushed leader Joey Logano out of the way and then collided with Denny Hamlin, who slammed into the wall after passing Logano. His maneuvers led to Dillon’s first win of the year and – initially – a spot in the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
FINAL LAPS: Austin Dillon takes the checkered flag in overtime at the Cook Out 400
After the race, Logano and Hamlin, among other things, openly expressed their displeasure with Dillon for allegedly destroying several cars to get into the playoffs, as it was his first win of the season. Then on Wednesday, NASCAR took action against Dillon, stripping him of his automatic playoff berth and 25 points in the standings. Dillon’s spotter Brandon Benesch was suspended for three races. Meanwhile, Logano was fined $50,000 for driving past Dillon’s pit box after the race and smoking his tires nearby.
What do other drivers who were not involved in the chaos on the last lap think of the matter?
On Thursday’s edition of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,” 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney, who finished 11th at Richmond, gave his take on Dillon’s performances.
“He kind of hooks (Hamlin). I think that was another step in the controversy of ‘Okay, yeah, you threw the leader out from pretty far back,’ and then you go one step further and hook an opponent to win. You’re in a desperate situation, but to me that was kind of over the top,” Blaney said of Dillon’s maneuver. “Where do we go as a sport if that’s open? Yes, we’re all for hard racing. It’s been a contact sport for a long time, but I think that was just a step too far. That was just too over the top, too much to really get excited about. …
“If you pass Joey on the restart in (Turns) 1 and 2, that’s one thing. You kind of slam the doors, whatever, and keep going. But I feel like that was just a step up.”
In his post-race interview, Dillon said, “I did what I had to do to cross the start-finish line first. … A lot of people lose their jobs because they don’t cross the start-finish line first.”
Dillon is now 26th in total points (344) with one top-five finish and three top-10 finishes this season. Blaney, who has already qualified for the playoffs, is fifth in total points (702) with two wins, seven top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes.
Next up on the NASCAR circuit is the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. After Michigan, there are only two races left before the 16-driver playoffs begin.
Full coverage of the Richmond aftermath:
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NASCAR Cup Series
Austin Dillon
Ryan Blaney
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