Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin were left furious at the end of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond last Sunday. Austin Dillon had just wrecked them both on the final lap to secure himself a victory and a much-coveted playoff spot. While the morality of the #3 Chevrolet driver’s actions is under question, is it fair that his victims are crying wolf? At the end of the day, they have only done the same to others on numerous occasions.
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Spotter and driver manager Brett Griffin spoke about this on the Door, Bumper, Clear podcast and levied his thoughts. He noted, “How many times has Denny used people up to win? How many times has Joey Logano used people up to win? I like them both personally. They’re good dudes. But hey, he wrecked the two biggest a******* in the sport!”
Wait, don't most fans hate Denny and Joey? Too soon? 😅 pic.twitter.com/7K4dhszTwM
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) August 13, 2024
Griffin rightly opines that the only entity to be mad at in the situation is NASCAR. The officiating body is what allows a driver who is 32nd on points to be overtly aggressive to secure a playoff spot with just a single win. The risk vs reward scenario is certainly favorable for those riding at the bottom end of the standings. And Dillon did whatever it took to give his team and himself a good field day.
Although Logano and Hamlin went after the Richard Childress Racing driver during post-race interviews, they had their fair share of criticism towards NASCAR as well. Both were certain that the governing body would not penalize Dillon fairly and would let him walk away scot-free. This is something that they might have gotten wrong. The officiating body is expected to deliver its final verdict on Tuesday.
What did Logano and Hamlin say about Dillon after getting wrecked at Richmond?
The biggest issue that Hamlin had with Dillon was that he was setting a bad example for young fans and drivers to follow. He told the press, “That’s why we see some of the lower series turn out the way they do in these green-white-checkered situations because some of the best that they’re seeing on Sunday do stuff like that.” Logano was far less controlled with his emotions.
He seethed, “I beat him fair and square on the restart and he just pulls a chicken s**t move. He’s a piece of crap. He sucks. He’s sucked his whole career and now he’s going to be in the playoffs. Good for him, I guess.” In his defense, Logano had more reason to be angry than Hamlin considering he was placed 19th on the scoring pylon at the end of the race from being in a position to win.
It remains to be seen what comes of the newest controversy in NASCAR. However, one thing is for certain, drivers and teams did not seem to let the Olympics break dampen their spirits as the whole field came out in full force. It might just be the Playoffs pressure which is bubbling up to the surface, especially for teams such as RCR.
