It has been a few days since the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Richmond Raceway came to an end in a controversial fashion. Austin Dillon wrecked both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to take the checkered flag under dramatic circumstances. There has been a lot of debate over whether the #3 driver intentionally hooked the #11 or if the former just got loose and made unfortunate contact owing to his coming together with Logano. Former Cup Series driver Greg Biffle believes that the contact was intentional.
Advertisement
“It almost looks like it wasn’t intentional because he is going for the start/finish but let’s face it, it’s on his left side, and Denny’s right there in front of him. He’s sitting there, he obviously saw him coming by and I think it was his only chance to get to the checkered flag. I mean it looked intentional to me,” Biffle said.
The 54-year-old released a video on his YouTube channel where he spoke about the incident. Biffle also addressed the comparisons of Dillion to Dale Earnhardt Sr. While he admitted that ‘The Intimidator’ made use of such tactics to win races, it was never from as far back as the current driver of the #3 deployed them.
"The format encourages what Austin Dillon did"
Here's 4 examples of drivers currently not locked into the playoffs racing cleanly for a win this season pic.twitter.com/2G9mjdQXh5
— Asteroid (@Asteroid4914) August 12, 2024
Had he not made contact with Joey Logano just before the fateful incident, the RCR driver would have gone straight up the race track, opines the Washington native. He might have even slammed into the wall given the speed at which Dillon was travelling.
One thing was clear, as the #3 was getting close to the #11, Dillon’s spotter was heard screaming in his ear to wreck Hamlin. It certainly is damning evidence against the #3 crew and could result in some serious repercussions from NASCAR.
Dillon opens up about the “wreck him” call
The RCR driver admitted that it was negligent of his spotter to suggest something like crashing another driver on the track. However, he maintained that it happened in the heat of the moment. Elaborating on Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s podcast, Dillon also revealed that he was not sure of what the future held since NASCAR has yet to reveal its post-race penalties. His win might not be taken away but a fine could well be on its way.
“I’m expecting something, obviously. As far as my spotter, I talked to him, and I truly think that emotions were really high for us. I believe like he became a fan in the stands on the last lap of Austin Dillon and RCR. He was just saying what came to his mind in the moment and it was wrong. I’m sure there’s going to be something from that.”
No matter what penalties are levied by the sanctioning body, one thing is for certain, last weekend’s incident has surely put NASCAR on the spot to either condone or punish such acts in the sport. There might even be further controversy down the line as Hamlin and Logano might look for retribution.
