I just want to first state that this race was brilliant for 398.2 laps.
The prime and option tire toggling was brilliant, and this should be instituted at every short track going forward at minimum.
Now, as for the finish.
That was the most embarrassing finish to a race in the sport’s history.
The most upsetting aspect of all is that Austin Dillon winning under green at lap 400 would’ve earned him a lot of props and respect from his detractors.
And, he went and threw it all out the window on that final restart.
I don’t like that he spun out Joey Logano, but I understood it. Dillon is third from the bottom in points for full-time drivers; moving Logano and winning the race guarantees him a spot in the Playoffs.
It would’ve been frowned upon. That said, it would not really necessitate a penalty.
To hear Austin Dillon’s spotter yell at him to wreck the #11 was where Richard Childress Racing, the entire #3 team, Richard Childress himself, and above all, Austin Dillon crossed the line.
Dillon blatantly, clear-as-day, hooked Denny Hamlin in the right-rear quarter panel, sending him into the outside wall on the frontstretch. Every single camera shot available backs that up.
For NASCAR to certify the result immediately is utterly and wholly disgraceful.
You have allowed Dillon to do this exact same move at 200mph on the Daytona backstretch, scot-free. He is enshrined in the sport’s history as a winner of the Great American Race after he recklessly right-rear hooked Aric Almirola into the outside wall on the final lap.
NASCAR, the ending of the 2024 Cook Out 400 is all your fault.
If you had taken Dillon’s win away at the Daytona 500 in 2018, you would’ve set a standard then that the action of right-rear hooking your competitors would not be tolerated.
You would’ve avoided Ben Rhodes v. Christian Eckes.
You would’ve avoided Carson Hocevar v. Colby Howard.
You would’ve avoided Wallace v. Larson.
You would’ve avoided Elliott v. Hamlin, and to your credit with the latter two examples, you are — at least –showing that you are willing to shift course on prior inaction when something unsettling occurs.
This is your hardest test yet, even though for any grade schooler, this would be a cut-and-dry decision handed down Monday morning.
It’s so easy to take this win away and suspend Austin Dillon and members of his team. Sure, the pictures of the night will be lost, but it’s widely-rumored that his race won’t even be on the schedule next year. There will be nothing to promote with this footage!
I receive my fair share of backlash and nihilism from other fans of the sport when I try to hold NASCAR to a higher standard than the people running the show care to uphold.
I expect y’all to be better than what you’ve allowed to fester since 2010. Hell, Brad Keselowski flipping into the wall in Atlanta that season should’ve shut “Boys Have At It” down right away!
When all Carl Edwards received for that incident was a measly fine, I knew then — at 13 years old — the sport was walking down a dark, narrow path to nowhere.
If I were in Elton Sawyer’s shoes, this is how this incident would be legislated.
The international feed of this race showed Denny Hamlin’s #11 FedEx Rewards Toyota Camry ahead at the time of caution, and because his car was interfered with by a competitor during the caution period, he was unable to “maintain speed” to the line.
- Denny Hamlin should be declared the winner of the 2024 Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.
- Austin Dillon should be retroactively black-flagged and subsequently disqualified from the race.
- Austin Dillon and the #3 team will be wholly suspended for next week’s race at Michigan. That list includes: Dillon, crew chief Justin Alexander, spotter Brandon Benesch, and car owner Richard Childress.
- The #3 team would receive an L3 penalty and be barred from the championship this season. They can run the rest of the races, but they won’t earn points.
- The #3 team would be removed from the Playoffs, and the trophy would need to be sent to the Joe Gibbs Racing shop within the week in perfect condition.
- Austin Dillon would be on probation until this date the following year, just in case he thinks he can act out however he wants on the race track now that he has nothing to race for this season.
When I hear things like “I did what I had to do”, “I just saw red”, and all of this was a “reaction” from the driver, that driver should not be in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Those are the words of someone that offers nothing to the sport but negative publicity. Those are the words of someone with zero regard for their competitors, and frankly, Austin Dillon’s words and actions are dangerous.
Not just dangerous for NASCAR, mind you. If this finish stands, imagine what it will do to the driving standards at the local level as drivers begin making their way through the ranks driving like this.
What is even more unfortunate is that the NextGen car has created a lot of momentum for the sport that I haven’t seen in my lifetime.
How often is it that multiple Formula 1 World Champions find themselves in a stock car in the same race?
Not. Often.
Let me ask you this: Do you earnestly believe that allowing this type of maneuver from Austin Dillon to go by completely unchecked by the sanctioning body will entice those Formula 1 world champions and 24 Hours of Le Mans race winners to rejoin our field from time-to-time?
Because the racing world is already talking about it, and the returns don’t look good for you, NASCAR.
The way that race played out isn’t enticing to folks outside the sport.
It doesn’t incline talent from outside the sport to come race with us.
It doesn’t make current fans of the sport want to associate with NASCAR.
I have been a fan of this sport since the day I was born. There are photos of my father holding me in the hospital room watching qualifying for the Cup race.
I have been here for 27 years and counting, and you have done a lot (and I mean A LOT!) to make me genuinely incensed over the years.
You’ve managed to top yourselves with yesterday’s shenanigans, somehow.
If this finish is allowed to stand, it might cause a permanent fracture in the fanbase and the garage. I know the sport has been geared more towards entertainment for the last couple of decades, but let’s be real: Is the level of vitriol on social media seen last night worth it for the sport?
Is it worth it for the NASCAR social media administrator? Is it worth it for the NASCAR officials? Is this one ridiculous highlight reel something you want to put out on social media to carry the brand of NASCAR?
If it were me, the answer would’ve been no. It would still be no. It would always be no.
So what if you make Richard Childress a little upset. So what if you hurt Austin Dillon’s feelings. So what if you have 28 people in all of North America disagreeing with the decision to take the win away.
This is now about ethics and codes of conduct; NASCAR at least has the latter to utilize in cases such as these.
But, because you received a little bit of backlash for (rightfully) removing Chase Elliott from competition for a weekend for doing the same exact thing last year at Charlotte, NASCAR has been coy about penalizing drivers.
Why?
As we discussed, this move and this win are extremely unpopular, and you said it yourselves a few weeks ago when Bubba Wallace was fined for benign contact on a cooldown lap, pressure from social media led to action.
You sweet, summer children. Y’all thought that was social media pressure? Just wait till you see Twitter Monday morning after you conveniently put your phones down on Sunday evening.
NASCAR, I leave you with this message: You have the power to do the right thing in this situation. For once, it’s actually really convenient for you to do the right thing. Don’t be dumb.
(Top Photo Credit: Logan Whitton/Getty Images)
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