Though not entirely convincing, Austin Dillon, one of the three drivers penalized this week for race manipulation, finally gave his take regarding the controversial radio chatter. He contends that his words over the radio were misunderstood and did not convey his intentions.
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This season hasn’t been smooth sailing for Richard Childress’ grandson, who has faced two big penalties. The first incident occurred at Richmond, where he won the race but was involved in last-lap collisions with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. While NASCAR allowed him to retain his victory from Sunday’s race at Richmond, they ruled that the win could not be used to qualify for the playoffs.
Then Last week at Martinsville, in a controversial move, NASCAR found that Ross Chastain and Dillon had run interference to help their Chevrolet teammate William Byron in maintaining crucial track position. A journalist from Frontstretch caught a snippet of the team’s radio during the final moments: “Does the 1 crew chief know the deal?” – radio chatter from the 3 teams that NBC just played.”
Defending his actions, Dillon spoke to Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass explaining, “I mean, they briefed me on the points situation. I think I need to clarify something; the ‘deal’ is that Ross is aware of what’s at stake for William.” Pockrass couldn’t help but laugh, seemingly skeptical of Dillon’s explanation.
Dillon pressed on, further elaborating on his perspective. “That needs to be cleared up. There was no other like ties to that. It was just the situation. I’m a country boy and that’s the fastest way for me to say situation is deal… I just knew that he was coming fast and I didn’t want to get in that because I was going to be an asshole if I passed him or didn’t.”
Just like Pockrass, fans were far from convinced by Dillon’s explanations. One fan expressed disbelief, saying, “Does he not know we heard the Radio communication,” while another bluntly accused, “@austindillon3 is a liar. We heard the radio chatter man.”
The shock was evident in another fan’s comment: “He literally asked if the 1 knew the plan?! Jesus Christ.” Yet another declared, “This dude is the worst liar I’ve ever seen.”
Austin Dillon said there was no plan for him and Ross Chastain to block for William Byron. Dillon: "I just know he was coming fast and I didn't want to get in that because I was going to be an asshole if I passed him or didn't." pic.twitter.com/TZmt5ZxWYZ
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 8, 2024
Dillon’s reason not to pass Byron on the track
Dillon’s stance on not overtaking Byron wasn’t solely about the controversial radio chatter that NASCAR scrutinized. He insisted his actions weren’t selfish but calculated based on risk assessment.
According to Dillon, overtaking involves weighing the risks, akin to having a metaphorical gun to one’s head. He explained that Byron was in a tight spot, just a single point away from advancing to Phoenix, and the #3 didn’t want to see himself getting in the middle of something risky.
He reasoned that if he attempted to overtake Byron and inadvertently caused a collision, it could have spoiled his chance at securing his first top-10 finish in weeks — a result he was satisfied with.
With Dillon’s perspective now clear, hearing what the other penalized drivers, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain say about their roles in the incident will be intriguing.
