Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 11, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
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NASCAR News: ‘Dirty’ Dillon stripped of Cup Playoff position

Posted by AR1 staff

Austin ‘Dirty’ Dillon will keep his victory from Sunday night’s Cup race at Richmond Raceway, but it will not count toward playoff eligibility for the driver and car owner.

The move leaves ‘Dirty’ Dillon and the No. 3 team outside a playoff spot with three races left in the regular season.

Austin ‘Dirty’ Dillon poses for a photo during NASCAR Production Days at Clutch Studios on January 19, 2022 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Richard Childress Racing stated that it “is very disappointed in NASCAR’s penalty against the No. 3 team. We do not agree with the decision that was made and plan to appeal.” We guarantee you they will lose that appeal.

NASCAR also announced that ‘Dirty’ Dillon has been docked 25 points and the team also lost 25 car owner points. NASCAR stated that spotter Brandon Beseech, who could be heard yelling for ‘Dirty’ Dillon to wreck a competitor, has been suspended for the next three Cup races.

“The No. 1 thing is that we want to make sure that we’re protecting the integrity of our playoffs as well as the championship when we get to Phoenix,” Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, told reporters Wednesday.

“We want to make sure our competitors understand that we want them to make all the decisions, we want them to be able to race hard. That’s what our sport has been about for 75-plus years, but we also want them to understand — and I believe each and every one them understands that this crossed the line.”

Sawyer said NASCAR examined SMT data, in-car camera footage and team radio audio before making the decision. He declined to state if one action by ‘Dirty’ Dillon was more egregious than the other when he wrecked both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap to win.

“We looked at it from the totality of everything that happened there as the (No.) 3 entered Turn 3 and made contact with (Logano) … and the contact that was made with (‘Dirty’ Dillon) and (Hamlin) on the exit.”

Sawyer said that officials considered taking the win away but the Cup Rule Book does not provide a “mechanism” to do so. He also said that series officials did consider suspending him — as officials did to Chase Elliott in 2023 and Bubba Wallace in 2022 for incidents where they wrecked a competitor by hooking them in the right rear — but chose not to do so, saying the penalty issued was severe enough.

RCR Statement

Richard Childress Racing issued a response on Wednesday to NASCAR’s controversial decision regarding their driver Austin ‘Dirty’ Dillon.