Austin Dillon’s Richmond Win Won’t Count Toward Cup Playoffs

Austin Dillon may have won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway last weekend, but that win won’t count toward the 2024 playoffs, NASCAR announced Aug. 14.

NASCAR’s decision comes after Dillon spun the cars of Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin coming out of the final turn to the checkered flag.

NASCAR officials cited section 12.3.2.1.b of its rule book: “Race finishes must be unencumbered by violation(s) of the NASCAR Rules or other action(s) detrimental to stock car auto racing or NASCAR as determined in the sole discretion of NASCAR.”

“I think in all due respect to the appeal process, we looked at this and the totality of everything that happened as you enter Turn 3 and as the cars got to the start/finish line,” Elton Sawyer, NASCAR svp of competition, said in a release announcing the penalty. “So, as we look through all of that data, we came to the conclusion that a line had been crossed. Our sport has been based going for many, many years, forever, on good, hard racing. Contact has been acceptable. We felt like, in this case, that the line was crossed.”

In addition to the loss of the win toward playoff contention, both Dillon and the No. 3 team were penalized 25 points for their respective season standings.

Logano, who was on the receiving end of one of Dillon’s bumps, was fined $50,000 after spinning his tires on pit road near the pit area of the No. 3 post-race.

Brandon Benesch, Dillon’s spotter, was the final person to receive a penalty; he was suspended three races for his comments on the radio on the final lap, instructing Dillon to “wreck [Logano].”

“If you look at at the crew chief and you look at the spotter, and view them as calming voices in the driver’s ear, in this case, we just felt like we’ve all listened to the audio,” Sawyer said. “We know exactly what was said. We just felt like that that’s not what we need spotters doing. That’s not what we need (from a) crew chief sitting on the box. They’re a calming voice to what the situation is in front of them, and they’re supposed to be spotting for the race, not making comments like were made, as we all know.”

Dillon now sits 31st in points and will need both another victory and to reach the top 30 of points to make the playoffs.