How Elton Sawyer Can Set a Precedent in NASCAR by Penalizing Austin Dillon for Richmond Drama

Austin Dillon’s victory at Richmond on Sunday has been embroiled in controversy. The Richard Childress Racing driver intently spun out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin during the final moments of the 400-lap-long race to secure the win for himself. His moves have been considered overly brash by the fraternity and this has led NASCAR’s VP of Competition, Elton Sawyer, to consider penalizing the #3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver.

He explained to the press that there is a line of tolerance in the sport. Although NASCAR has always been a contact sport, Dillon was riding extremely close to it. He will be analyzing audio and video feeds, SMT data, and other indicators along with his team over the next two days to make a call on potential reprimands for Dillon. The verdict will come out on Tuesday.

AUSTIN DILLON SLAMS INTO JOEY LOGANO!

HE WINS AT RICHMOND. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/6fCmEzG6WC

— NASCAR on USA (@NASCARonUSA) August 12, 2024

Surprisingly, he did not rule out the possibility of the victory being taken away. He said, “Historically that hasn’t been in our DNA to take races away. But that’s not to say that going forward this wouldn’t set a precedent, we’d have to look at it.” He also reiterated his stand that the last lap fiasco was right up against the line of what is allowed and that he wants to make the right decision.

“We will look at this and make sure that going forward everybody has an understanding of how we are going to race. If we see something that rises to a level, then for sure we’ll penalize,” he quipped. Should Sawyer & Co. decide to make a historic lesson out of Dillon, it would send tremors down to the very grassroots of racing and change the sport for the better.

Denny Hamlin criticizes NASCAR for its lack of action

Hamlin was one of the drivers who fell prey to Dillon’s antics during the final lap of the race. He seethed after the race that a line that ought not to be crossed was and that NASCAR was still not going to do anything about it. He said, “It’s an invisible line. It’s not defined. I mean, they have rules and provisions for stuff like this, but they never take action for it.”

He expressed his belief that such incidents set the wrong ideal for young and upcoming drivers to follow. He will be amongst those rejoicing should the officiating body come down heavy on Dillon. However, should the governing body go easy on him, the RCR regular’s fifth victory of his career will stand and so will his spot in the playoffs. It will then be up to Hamlin or Logano to balance out the scales.

Further radio chatter from the #3 crew at RCR has surfaced after the race where Dillon’s spotter is explicitly urging his driver to wreck either Hamlin or Logano. If the authenticity of the same is verified, NASCAR could have a clear-cut decision on their hands.