NASCAR strips Austin Dillon of playoff spot after he ‘crossed the line’ in Richmond race

Austin Dillon won’t be in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs after all.

After days of deliberation, NASCAR officials decided Wednesday that the finish Sunday at Richmond will not count toward determining playoff eligibility. Dillon, who wrecked the cars of Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on his way to a contentious victory, will still be credited with the fifth win of his career.

In addition to revoking playoff eligibility for Dillon, who entered Richmond sitting in 32nd in Cup Series points, NASCAR docked the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team 25 driver and owner points. NASCAR also fined Logano $50,000 for spinning his tires near Dillon’s team on pit road following the checkered flag.

“If you walk through that garage, they know there’s a line,” Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, said Wednesday afternoon on a video call with reporters. “I promise you, as a race car driver, they know where the line is. It’s been a few years since I did it, but I promise you, I knew where the line was.

“Hard NASCAR racing — little bump, little tire mark, moving a guy up inside out of the groove to win a race — we’ve done that for years. What happened on Sunday night crossed the line.”