NASCAR understood the significance of not solely making a ruling, however making the proper one about Sunday evening’s end at Richmond Raceway, which is why it took three days to announce the penalties.
“I wish to apologize to [the fans] for this taking so long as it did,” NASCAR senior vp of competitors Elton Sawyer mentioned. “They’ve been affected person by means of this course of [and] I’m speaking to them now, letting them know why it took so lengthy to get to this choice.”
Sawyer defined the method began on Sunday evening by gathering all of the accessible data. NASCAR then continued its evaluate of SMT information, in-car video, and audio and went by means of all obligatory conferences earlier than stripping the Cup Collection playoff eligibility that the victory gave Austin Dillon.
Dillon’s No. 3 group was additionally docked 25 factors within the proprietor and driver championship standings. Dillon’s spotter, Brandon Benesch, was suspended for 3 races due to his “wreck him” instruction over the group communication.
Richard Childress Racing can attraction the penalty. Dillon should win one of many subsequent three races to earn a postseason berth.
NASCAR made its choice about Dillon based mostly on the totality of his actions. Dillon was working second when he drove into Flip 3 and spun Joey Logano from the race lead on the ultimate lap of extra time. He then right-hooked Denny Hamlin in Flip 4 after Hamlin had pushed to his inside coming to the checkered flag.
“The primary factor is, we wish to be sure we’re defending the integrity of our playoffs in addition to our championship after we get to Phoenix,” Sawyer mentioned. “We wish to be sure our opponents perceive that we wish them to make all the selections, we wish them to have the ability to race laborious, that’s what our sport has been about for 75 plus years. However we additionally need them to know, and I imagine that every one among them understands, that this crossed a line.”
Sawyer admitted that NASCAR is trying into how they will make rulings a lot quicker than days later. Nevertheless, it was extra essential on this scenario to get it proper than to be quick in its choice.
A suspension for Dillon was additionally thought-about within the course of. NASCAR has suspended two drivers over the past two years – Bubba Wallace in 2022 and Chase Elliott in 2023 – for right-hooking a fellow competitor, and people two incidents have been put up towards what Dillon did over the weekend.
“However every particular person scenario is totally different, and after we checked out this within the totality, we felt like that the penalty that we now have issued the No. 3, and the No. 3 proprietor, that takes the eligibility of utilizing that win away from that, that match what occurred on Sunday evening,” Sawyer mentioned. “We didn’t really feel we wanted so as to add the suspension to it.”
