Austin Dillon has had to deal with a lot of questions after controversially winning the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Richmond Raceway this Sunday. The driver of the #3 car wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap as he took the checkered flag. Both racers have spoken against the Richard Childress Racing driver but Dillon is not one to hold back either.
Advertisement
During the post-race press conference, the RCR star stated that both the drivers he wrecked on his way to victory were guilty of similar antics. Logano and Hamlin have squeezed and wrecked rivals to win races for which they have received flak themselves. As far as he is concerned, this was his first chance to win a race in two years and he did what he had to do to take the checkered flag.
— Austin Dillon (@austindillon3) August 12, 2024
“I’ve seen Denny and Joey make moves that have been running people up the track to win. This is the first opportunity in two years for me to be able to get a win. I drove in there and kept all four tires turning across the start/finish line. …remember when Joey said ‘short-track racing’. He knows what it was,” he said.
This win means that the #3 car will be in the playoffs after a long time and be a contender for the championship. It was an incredible moment for RCR who have struggled during the 2024 season. Now, they have something to look forward to and prepare for as the regular season nears its end.
Was Dillon’s aggression in Richmond good for NASCAR?
The questions directed towards Dillon did not just end there. The RCR star was then asked in the press conference if “unvarnished aggressiveness” was good for the sport. He did wreck a couple of drivers intentionally to get the race win. In most other forms of global motorsports, it would have immediately resulted in a penalty and perhaps even other repercussions.
“It’s just the rules of the sport, right? It is what it is. Wins get you into the next round. I did what I had to do to cross the start/finish line first. As far as good for the sport, I heard we were trending No. 1 on Twitter right now. People must be viewing it right now, so that’s good,” the driver of the #3 car added.
No matter the backlash, neither Dillon nor RCR can dwell too much on how they got the race win. This season has been one of disappointment and the team could use a moment of success like this to lift themselves back up. The focus for the #3 team will now be on the playoffs.
