Explained: Why penalized Austin Dillon gets to keep his controversial NASCAR win

After Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon wrecked both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to take a win during Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond, fans erupted, demanding a penalty for unsafe driving.

On Wednesday, NASCAR finally issued a suite of penalties, which saw Dillon get to keep his win — while being denied a chance at the Playoffs.

Austin Dillon: No Playoffs, but the win remains

In the final overtime laps of the Cook Out 400, Joey Logano was able to pass leader Austin Dillon on the restart; Dillon responded by driving so deep into Turn 3 that he knocked Logano into the outside wall.

Denny Hamlin was able to take advantage of that moment to attempt to slip by Dillon, but Dillon right hooked Hamlin into the outside wall. Those two moves gave the No. 3 RCR racer his first victory since 2022 — and locked him into the Playoffs.

NASCAR’s championship is decided by an elimination-style Playoffs format during the final 10 races of the year. To qualify for the Playoffs, a driver needs to either secure a win, which earns him an automatic entry into the Playoffs, or to score enough Playoff points to make the cut.

However, Dillon’s spin-to-win maneuver raised ample criticism. It was a dangerous move, and if it remained unpunished, many fans, pundits, and drivers felt that NASCAR would effectively allow drivers to win in any way possible, so long as it earned them a shot for a championship.

NASCAR vowed to review the finish at Richmond. On Wednesday, it released a slate of penalties.

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Though Dillon was allowed to “keep” his win, NASCAR has determined that the win should not qualify Dillon for the Playoffs. In order to earn a slot in the Playoffs, Dillon will have to win again.

In addition, Dillon and his team have been docked 25 points, and Dillon’s spotter Brandon Benesch was suspended for the next three points-paying events. Benesch was heard on the radio instructing Dillon to “wreck him” when Hamlin approached attempted to pass him.

Richard Childress Racing has stated that it will appeal the penalties, stating that it is “very disappointed in NASCAR’s penalty against the No. 3 team. We do not agree with the decision and plan to appeal.”

NASCAR’s decision was not made lightly, as any penalties will ultimately have repercussions. Revoking the win from Dillon could harm both the driver and the team. However, allowing him to contest the Playoffs could cause serious harm to the integrity of the NASCAR championship.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, stated, “I think in all due respect to the appeal process, we looked at this and the totality of everything that happened as you enter Turn 3 and as the cars got to the start/finish line.

“So, as we look through all of that data, we came to the conclusion that a line had been crossed.

“Our sport has been based going for many, many years, forever, on good, hard racing. Contact has been acceptable. We felt like, in this case, that the line was crossed.”

NASCAR determined that Dillon’s actions violated Section 12.3.2.1.b of the NASCAR Rule Book. This section concerns playoff eligibility and states, “ Race finishes must be unencumbered by violation(s) of the NASCAR Rules or other action(s) detrimental to stock car auto racing or NASCAR as determined in the sole discretion of NASCAR.”

In effect, Dillon’s spin-to-win move was not completely illegal should Richmond be considered a standalone event. However, the repercussions that the move would have regarding the Playoff format were deemed unsavory. So, Dillon could keep his win, but NASCAR determined that it would not be Dillon’s ticket to the Playoffs.

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