Who… should you be talking about after the race?
If you didn’t have Austin Dillon on your short list of contenders to win the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, you aren’t alone.
Dillon qualified sixth, his best since starting fifth at Talladega Superspeedway in April. He showed that he had good speed throughout the day, and took the lead with 28 laps to go, passing Denny Hamlin for the top spot. From there, Dillon opened a convincing lead before a tangle between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece with two to go set up a final round of pit stops to put on a set of the softer, faster tires NASCAR had on offering this week.
Joey Logano got by Dillon on the final restart, clearing him and taking the white flag. Dillon couldn’t get close enough to attempt a pass but did get close enough to get into Logano’s bumper, turning him, and then, after Hamlin squeezed by them both, turned down into Hamlin’s right rear, sending him hard into the outside wall. Dillon held off Hamlin and Tyler Reddick to take the win — and an unexpected playoff spot.
And don’t forget Bubba Wallace. Wallace put together his another strong full-race effort on Sunday, qualifying eighth and running in the top 10 and top five for much of the race. He finished fifth and eighth in the opening stages and scored some much-needed points as he fights for a playoff spot with three races remaining in the regular season. Wallace finished fourth on the day, his second top five in the last two races.
What… is the big question leaving this race in the rearview?
NASCAR tried something different to spice up the racing at Richmond after tire strategy was a major factor in the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, giving teams two different tire compounds to use during the race. Did the option tire work as advertised and should it become a regular thing?
Yes, it worked. It didn’t drastically alter the way the race played out (and that shouldn’t have been the expectation), but it gave teams a way to create their own destinies. The softer option tire had more grip and was much faster than the regular tire, but didn’t last as long before speeds fell off.
Because teams used different game plans with the tires, there were a couple of players who otherwise might not have been in the conversations.
So yes, NASCAR should absolutely look at tire options for future races. There are several ways that could look, but the opting at Richmond…
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