Austin Dillon believed he executed the necessary actions to be the first to cross the finish line on Sunday night at Richmond Raceway. In the final lap, Dillon collided with Joey Logano in Turn 3, causing Logano to spin out of the race lead. Shortly after, in the following corner, Dillon made contact with Denny Hamlin as they raced side by side towards the checkered flag. This victory, Dillon’s first since August 2022 in Daytona, propelled him from 32nd to the postseason in the Cup Series standings.
When discussing the initial contact with Logano, Dillon explained, “I was attempting to reach him. I entered Turn 3 in fifth gear, drove in, and tried to destabilize him, ultimately pushing him up the track. As I downshifted, the car responded well, and as I began to turn left, the No. 11 car was approaching, resulting in a spontaneous reaction.”
Dillon did not recall receiving any instructions to “wreck him” over his team’s in-car radio as they exited Turn 4. The audio of this statement quickly went viral, leading to inquiries and criticism directed towards Dillon and his team. Dillon clarified, “At that point, I was fully focused on reaching the start/finish line. I was giving it my all, holding down the throttle, and maneuvering through the race. I was sideways coming off Turn 4 because I typically position myself three-quarters of a lane up the track. I hammered the gas and solely focused on the start/finish line. I wasn’t hearing anything else at that moment.”
Dillon emphasized the intense competitive mindset that takes over during the final moments of a race. He drew a parallel to his previous victory at Daytona, stating, “Your eyes turn red. You see red. When you’re nearing the end of the race, like at Daytona, your eyes only see red. There’s only one thing on your mind: reaching the start/finish line first. It doesn’t matter if anyone speaks over the radio. Your sole objective is to reach the start/finish line first. Many individuals lose their jobs because they fail to achieve this.”
The overtime restart placed Dillon in an offensive position. With 28 laps remaining, Dillon had assumed the lead and maintained control of the field until the final caution flag was raised. This occurred two laps before the end of the race when Ryan Preece was spun out by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Dillon’s No. 3 team successfully kept him in the leading position during the final round of pit stops.
However, on the restart, Logano managed to surpass Dillon through Turns 1 and 2. Dillon, who was reportedly three or four car lengths behind Logano, made contact in Turn 3 to regain the lead. Logano called for the victory to be revoked, prompting NASCAR to review the finish. Nevertheless, Dillon showed no remorse for his tactics, as he believed they were no different from what his competitors had done in the past.
“I’ve witnessed Denny and Joey execute maneuvers that have forced others up the track to secure a win,” Dillon asserted. “This was my first opportunity in two years to claim a victory, so I took the chance and kept all four tires turning across the start/finish line. Throughout the years, I’ve witnessed numerous incidents in NASCAR where drivers make aggressive moves, and it’s simply a part of our sport. Remember when Joey said, ‘It’s short-track racing’? He knows exactly what it entails. If you were in my position, what would you have done?”
Photo from Austin Dillon Instagram
