NASCAR finds itself at a defining moment after Richmond.

This whole article is BS.

They have always put someone into the wall on the last lap to win.

Even today they teach little kids in tiny cars to slow down by hitting the car in front...

When they raced on the beach they would shove their bumper into the tire to cut it at the far end of the course. It's sound tracked on the old films.

Tony Stewart used his front spoiler to cut tires on other cars.

Darrel Waltrip said that 8 tires grip better than 4 tires....

Dale Earnhardt died seeing himself shoved into the wall...... the same view he had give countless others. As well as a strengthed front bumper to shove people out of his way. Why?

Earnhardt said because it pays better. And then apologize " I didn't mean to wreck you".....BS BS BS.

NASCAR should forget this last weekend and make a new rule from this day forward......

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | August 12, 2024 12:43 PM ET

NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer found it a fair to say that ideas have changed regarding acceptable racing contact, before admitting the sport needs to learn from what happened on Sunday night at Richmond Raceway.

Those that need to learn are not NASCAR. The sanctioning body instead finds itself at a defining moment in its history where the reins need to be pulled back in on the garage.

Austin Dillon had a win-at-all-costs mentality on the final lap, which resulted in wrecked race cars for Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. As Sawyer reminded everyone, NASCAR is a contact sport, and it was within Dillon’s right to use his front bumper. But if the first contact with Logano was understandably aggressive – but perhaps not liked – it was also arguably within the lines of many previous incidents. The second contact, a right rear hook of Hamlin, should be considered intolerable.

Sawyer described the chain of events as close to crossing the line. NASCAR will dig into all available data – audio, video and SMT – concerning the finish, and any reaction will come this week. It would serve NASCAR’s best interest to have the last word in the matter, and that final word needs to be strong.

A former competitor himself, Sawyer already gave the correct analysis that needs to be put into action: “Racing in the era that we race in today and the way our young kids are coming up racing at short tracks, we want to make sure that the highest level of racing, which is NASCAR Cup Series, is done at the highest level and it’s done with the utmost integrity and sportsmanship and that’s what we’re about. So, we’ll see if we need to adjust accordingly going forward.”

Highest level. Integrity. Sportsmanship.

The finish at Richmond didn’t seem to strike those chords. It was less competition or craft, and more destruction and deflection to the system. Perhaps drivers have become too comfortable feeling that way, since the reward seems to outweigh the risk of being punished more often than not.

“My parents used to say if you want to sit at the adult table, you have to act like an adult, and we just don’t as a sport sometimes,” Hamlin opined. “It’s frustrating as someone who has been doing this so long to see where we’ve come [from]. I’ll just bitch and complain my last few years, but this is just crazy.”
Layne Riggs was given a two-lap penalty for sending Stefan Parsons into the wall in Nashville earlier this year. Danny Hansen/Motorsport Images

Hamlin also had plenty to say about there being “no real officiating” in favor what he perceives to be an embrace of the chaos and headlines. As famed wrestling promoter and personality Eric Bischoff titled his autobiography, controversy creates cash. Except, Hamlin knows there are rules in place to prevent, as he described, “ridiculous acts” that rarely get enforced. Then, when they do, such as Layne Riggs being made an example of in a Craftsman Truck Series race earlier this year with a two-lap penalty for reckless driving, they seem questionable compared to what others got away with.

Yet, hooking someone in the right rear has been the most consistent call NASCAR has made over the last two years, with suspensions for drivers like Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott. Following its review, an explanation is owed by NASCAR as to why what Dillon did was or was not different.

NASCAR is not immune to criticism for being more entertainment than competition. Some will not let it outrun comments from former executives about “boys, have at it,” even if the context around that time has long been forgotten. Or there are those quick to point out that one of the sport’s most revered figures will always be known – whether rightly or wrongly – as having made a career of using the front bumper of his black No. 3 Chevrolet.

All of those comments can be true, but it is simultaneously true that things have to change. And as long as the course is corrected, it’s OK to be in this position. Sometimes, harsh reminders by those in charge are necessary about what is expected of its competitors because the sport’s reputation has become one headline too many.

“I’m not really sure what to say about that,” Logano’s crew chief Paul Wolfe told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “It’s as far from racing as you can get, and it’s really disappointing that NASCAR allows stuff like that to go on. I don’t know what else to say.”

Wolfe, understandably, got more animated as the conversation continued and his comments more pointed. It might have been Wolfe’s voice, but it was the thoughts of many.

“That wasn’t a racing incident,” Wolfe said. “Anyone can see that. So, I guess what I’m asking NASCAR is: What have we gotten to? Is this not racing anymore? At some point, we’re going to have to not turn into a circus here.

“I get it. We want stories. We want cars that don’t run good in the playoffs. But, gosh, we’re still racing here and when we lose sight of that, I don’t know what we’re doing anymore.

“So it’s very frustrating that all the time and effort and all our sponsors and everyone puts into this, and then it turns into that on the last lap. I don’t know what we’re doing, and it’s hard to understand. That was not a racing incident, racing hard for a win. There’s a difference and everyone in this garage can look at that and know that’s not what just happened.

“This is up to NASCAR to do the right thing. At some point, we’re going to have to make the call of what’s acceptable and not and just flat-out wrecking someone is not racing. So are we a racing series or what are we? If we’re not a racing series, then we need to let everyone know we’re not racing anymore because that was not racing.”

While it is not new that the garage is calling for NASCAR to take action on a particular situation, there has been an escalation in frustration in recent years about the code of conduct on the racetrack. It has grown from rivalries and retaliation to how a race winner is decided, reaching and staining the sport’s highest level.


This whole article is BS.

They have always put someone into the wall on the last lap to win.

The time has come for NASCAR to do some cleaning up. BS BS BS why start now after 100 years?
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NASCAR should forget this last weekend and make a new rule from this day forward......

 

NASCAR to take a closer look at Richmond finish.

How about a closer look without the bag over your heads for the last 100 years!

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | August 12, 2024 10:06 AM ET

NASCAR will review all available data concerning the last lap events from Sunday night at Richmond Raceway where Austin Dillon made contact with two drivers en route to victory.

“Our sport has been a contact sport for a long time,” said NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer. “We always hear, ‘Where’s the line?’ and ‘Did someone cross the line?’ I would say that the last lap was awful close to the line.

“We’ll take a look at all the available resources from audio to video, listen to spotters, we’ll listen to crew chiefs and drivers, and if anything rises to a level that we feel like we need to penalize, then we’ll do that on Tuesday.”

illon was running second when he drove into Turn 3 on the final lap of overtime in the Cook Out 400 and hit the rear bumper of Joey Logano’s Ford Mustang. The contact sent Logano into a spin and the outside wall. Logano, who finished 19th, called it a chicken (expletive) move as Dillon came from a couple of car lengths back to make contact.

The chain of events continued when Dillon hooked Denny Hamlin in the right rear of Turn 4. Hamlin was to the inside of Dillon – given the opportunity as Dillon washed up the track after the contact with Logano – before his car was shot to the outside wall because of the hook, which cleared Dillon’s path to victory.

Logano finished 19th. Hamlin crossed the finish line fifth.

“It happened fast,” Sawyer said when asked if NASCAR didn’t view anything egregious in real time. “But I would say, if you look at that, in my view that’s getting right up really close to crossing the line.”

Sawyer felt Sunday night was a great race with positives, such as the option tire Cup Series teams had in their allotment. But as it pertains to the last lap, Sawyer reiterated NASCAR is a contact sport that wants drivers to race hard. The debate during NASCAR’s review of what took place at Richmond is how far the drivers can go, and Sawyer also agreed that perhaps what’s acceptable in NASCAR today has changed from what was seen throughout its history.

“Our sport is 75 years old – a lot has happened in 75 years,” he said. “So, I think we have to learn from the incident tonight and move forward and see if there’s something that … racing in the era that we race in today and the way our young kids are coming up racing at short tracks, we want to make sure that the highest level of racing, which is NASCAR Cup Series, is done at the highest level and it’s done with the utmost integrity and sportsmanship and that’s what we’re about. So, we’ll see if we need to adjust accordingly going forward.”
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Adjust accordingly??? What a bunch of Bull S***!
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Whether that will include a penalty to Dillon, perhaps even taking the win away, is to be determined.

“Historically that hasn’t been our DNA to take races away, but that’s not to say that going forward this wouldn’t start to set a precedent,” Sawyer said. “We have to look at it.”

 

Hamlin 'amazed' incidents like Richmond continue to be allowed. Yeah?

Like Fake News being amazed that suddenly Joe Biden has a problem with being an incompetent POS, after Fake news kept it quiet and hid it from the US voting public for over 3 years!

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | August 12, 2024 9:53 AM ET

Denny Hamlin had a question of his own when he faced reporters Sunday night at Richmond Raceway after being wrecked by Austin Dillon for the victory.

“Where is the line?” Hamlin responded.

The retort had nothing to do with the location of the finish line. It came instead as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was asked if Dillon should be penalized for his last-lap actions where he made contact with two drivers to win the Cook Out 400. Dillon first hit Joey Logano in Turn 3, which spun Logano from the race lead before he hooked Hamlin off Turn 4.

Hamlin was running on the bottom of the racetrack in a position to drive past Dillon and Logano after the two had their incident. But a right-rear hook delivered to Hamlin sent the No. 11 Toyota into the outside wall and secured the victory for Dillon.

“We have rules to prevent ridiculous acts but it’s been a long time since those rules have been enforced,” Hamlin said. “Didn’t Layne Riggs spin someone out and get a two-lap penalty or some [expletive]? This is tough because this is what the young short-track racers see, and they think this is okay because they watch the professionals on Sunday who are supposed to act like adults just do dumb [expletive], and it’s just amazing that it’s allowed.

“But I don’t fault him because he’s completely desperate, right? He’s 30th in points, he jumps 20 spots in points, or whatever the hell it is. His season is saved. Now, he’ll have to pay repercussions down the line for this, but it’s so worth it from his standpoint because there are no guardrails or rules that say, ‘Don’t do that.’ And there’s no one in the tower that has any problem with it. So, we’re never ever going to get taken seriously as a sport because we have no real officiating.”

Hamlin had resigned himself to finishing third before he saw how far Dillon drove into the corner on the final lap. At that point, Hamlin knew the Richard Childress Racing driver was “going to do something silly.” It was unfortunate, Hamlin said, to be one of two guys to get wiped out.

The radio communication for Dillon’s team left no doubt the driver was going to do whatever it took to prevail. After the contact with Logano, there was a sentiment of “wreck him” on Dillon’s No. 3 radio as Hamlin got to his inside.

Hamlin became animated upon hearing that and said, “Well then, what are we talking about then? I don’t know. Maybe they [NASCAR] address it. I would say not.”

The right rear hook is what Hamlin upset the most. It is a move that has drawn penalties in the past, including when Hamlin was on the receiving end of a right-rear hook from Chase Elliott last year, which resulted in Elliott getting suspended for one race.

Hamlin said hooking another driver is “100%” worse than driving into the back of them.

“I don’t know what the G [forces] were, but it crushed me on the right side,” Hamlin said about hitting the wall after the contact from Dillon. “He right rear hooked me, so what do you want me to do?”

Hamlin, his crew chief Chris Gabehart, and other Joe Gibbs Racing personnel visited the NASCAR hauler about the events of the last lap. Afterwards, Hamlin did not want to reveal what was said behind closed doors.

 

Dillon unapologetic about how he claimed Richmond win. I won and you can eat ........

How I did it is how everybody does it.

You have one job to do – to get to the start/finish line first.

A lot of people lose their jobs because they don’t get to the start/finish line first.”

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | August 12, 2024 10:18 AM ET

Austin Dillon felt he did what he had to do to cross the finish line first Sunday night at Richmond Raceway.

Dillon ran into the back of Joey Logano in Turn 3 on the final lap, which spun Logano from the race lead. In the next corner, Dillon right-hooked Denny Hamlin as the two were side-by-side with the checkered flag in sight. The victory, Dillon’s first since August 2022 in Daytona, took him from 32nd in the Cup Series standings to the postseason.

“I was just trying to get to him,” Dillon said of the first contact with Logano. “I went into Turn 3 in fifth gear and drove in, tried to get him loose, and got him up the track. I got the car downshifted, and the car actually turned pretty good when I did that, and then when I was coming back left, [Hamlin] was coming and that was just kind of a reaction.

“The No. 22 [Logano] was trying to get him loose but the No. 11 [Hamlin] was more just a reaction, and I wasn’t lifting at that point because I was more looking at where [Logano] was. When the No. 11 came across, it was just a reaction.”

Dillon did not recall hearing instructions to “wreck him” over his team’s in-car radio coming off Turn 4. The audio quickly went viral, leading to questions and criticism for Dillon and his team.

“Dude, at that point, I’m elbows up, holding the throttle down, just trying to get to the start/finish line. Literally,” Dillon said. “I am sideways off of [Turn] 4 because I’m always three-quarters of a lane up the track, hammer the gas, and I’m just looking at the start/finish line. That’s it. I ain’t hearing [expletive] at that point.

“Your eyes turn red. You see red. You get to the end of the race. Daytona, last lap, when I won there at the 500 – your eyes see red. There’s one thing on your mind: get to the start/finish line first. Period. No matter if anybody came on the radio. It doesn’t matter. You have one job to do – to get to the start/finish line first. A lot of people lose their jobs because they don’t get to the start/finish line first.”

The overtime restart put Dillon on the offensive. Dillon had taken the lead of the race with 28 laps to go and was in control of the field when the final caution came with two laps to go when Ryan Preece was spun by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Dillon’s No. 3 team kept him in the top spot during the final round of pit stops.

But Logano cleared Dillon through Turns 1 and 2 on the restart. Dillon came from what Logano said was three or four car lengths behind entering Turn 3 on the lap to make contact.

Logano called for the victory to be taken away. NASCAR will review the finish. However, Dillon was unapologetic for how he succeeded, seeing no difference in what his competition had done in the past.

“I’ve seen Denny and Joey make moves that have been running people up the track to win,” Dillon said. “This was the first opportunity in two years for me to be able to get a win; I drove in there and kept all four tires turning across the start/finish line. I’ve seen a lot of stuff over the years in NASCAR where people move people, and it’s just part of our sport.

“Remember when Joey said, ‘[that’s] short-track racing’? He knows what it was. In your shoes, what would you do?”

 

Logano blasts ‘piece of crap’ Dillon after Richmond contact.

Excuse me while I put my shoe on the other foot.

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | August 11, 2024 11:28 PM ET

Joey Logano blasted Austin Dillon for having “no intention” of racing to the finish Sunday night at Richmond Raceway and instead choosing to make contact for the victory.

The race went to overtime with Dillon as the race leader. But Logano beat Dillon through Turns 1 and 2 on the restart and was leading going into Turn 3 on the final lap. Dillon, looking for his first victory in two years, drove hard into the corner to get to Logano’s bumper and made contact. It sent Logano into a full spin before his car hit the outside wall.

Dillon then made contact with Denny Hamlin off Turn 4 to secure the win. Hamlin had the momentum and moved underneath Dillon when the incident between him and Logano occurred. But Dillon came back down the track and hit Hamlin in the right rear.

Admittedly, Logano was not expecting there to be contact from Dillon.

“When you get that far ahead — that’s three to four car lengths ahead into [Turn] 3,” Logano said. “I didn’t even back up the entry. I was like, ‘I’ll just wrap the bottom here, I’m good,’ and he just drives in so hard. Obviously, he didn’t make the turn because he hit me, and the 11 [Hamlin] was going to win the race.

“So, he had no intentions to race. I beat him fair and square on the restart, and he just pulls a chicken [expletive] move. He’s a piece of crap. The kid, he sucks. He sucked his whole career, and now he’s going to be in the playoffs. Good for him, I guess.”Dillon was 32nd in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings entering Richmond. The victory shuffles the playoff grid by putting Dillon into the postseason.

When asked if Dillon should be penalized, Logano initially said, “I don’t know. I don’t know. Apparently, it’s OK. What do you want me to say? Apparently, you can come from five car lengths back and completely wreck someone and then wreck another one to the line, and we’re going to call that racing. Cool.”

Logano was then asked if they should take the win away from Dillon, “Yeah [but] they won’t. they might make him sit in the hall instead of the banquet room for the award ceremony.”

In the heat of the moment, Logano didn’t know how he would react going forward. As time passed, he was still red-faced, sweating and animated, whether talking to his team or the media about what transpired on the last lap.

“But I know it’s ridiculous, and you can’t stand for it,” the two-time series champion said. “I can tell you that much. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do next. Obviously, I got to think about it, but you can’t let (expletive) like that happen.”

 

Dillon takes wild overtime win at Richmond

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emailBy Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service | August 11, 2024 11:21 PM ET

It took a controversial full-contact finish but Austin Dillon claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in two seasons in Sunday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway — vaulting from a 32nd place in the points standings before the race to an automatic playoff berth with the win.

Coming to the checkered flag during the final lap of overtime, Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevy hit the rear bumper of the race-leading No. 22 Team Penske driven by Joey Logano crashing Logano’s car into the catchfence. Then Dillon immediately moved low on track and hit Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota as he was driving by. It allowed Dillon to take the checkered flag only a few feet ahead and claim the all-important win by a slight 0.116s.


As Logano and Hamlin drove their dented, smoking cars to pit lane, the 34-year-old North Carolinian Dillon did victory donuts and spoke about the win and the move he used to gain it. He reminded reporters later that this was short track-style racing and that he’s seen both Logano and Hamlin make similarly aggressive moves to win a trophy, but right now they are acting like a couple wimps.

“I don’t know man, it’s been two years and this is the first car I’ve had a shot to win with,’’ Dillon said when asked if he thought it was a fair move for the win.

“I felt like with two to go, we were the fastest car. Obviously we had to have a straightaway. Wrecked the guy. I hate to do that, but it pays better and sometimes you just got to do it.
Dale Earnhardt did it until he became a dead S.O.B.

“I got to thank the good Lord above. It’s been tough for the last two years man. I care about RCR, these fans, my wife. This is my first [win] for my baby girl. It means a lot. I hate it, but I had to do it.’’ Sounds like a Dale Earnhardt BS apology to me!

“When given that shot, you’ve got to take it,’’ Dillon added. F him.

It’s Dillon’s first win in the last 68 races and fifth of his career. His last trophy came in the final regular season race of 2022 at Daytona International Speedway which earned a last chance position in that playoff run. He was ranked 32nd in points coming into this Richmond race — 258 points behind the playoff cutoff line — and now he becomes the 13th driver to win his way into championship contention.

Noted his grandfather, team owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Richard Childress, “He knew what he had to do and they (Logano and Hamlin) would have done it to him. Those crybaby a-holes.’’

After speaking briefly with reporters alongside his car on pit road, an angry Logano went immediately to the NASCAR officials team hauler.

“It was chicken &*#! — there’s no doubt about it,’’ the two-time series champion Logano said of Dillon’s move. “He was four car-lengths back, not even close. Then he wrecks the 11 [Hamlin] to go along with it.

“I mean, I get it, bump and run,’’ Logano continued, “I’ve done that, but he just drove through me, it’s ridiculous. Didn't he know it was my turn to win?’’

Logano’s crew chief Paul Wolfe was frustrated as well.

“It’s just a joke to call that racing. … something like that, that’s not racing,’’ Wolfe said. “We all put too much in this … that’s not professional what happened tonight.’’

Hamlin, who led the most laps (124) on the night, was equally as frustrated.

“There are no penalties for rough driving so it opens up the opportunity for Austin to just do whatever he wants,’’ said Hamlin, who was scored second....THIS time.

“I got hooked in the right rear again. I was just minding my own business and he hooked me in the right rear and put me in the fence. I don’t know. The record book won’t care about what happened, He’s going to be credited with a win but obviously he’s not going to go far [in the playoffs] because you got to pay your dues back on stuff like that.

“But it was worth it because he jumped 20 positions in points, I understand that and there’s no ill will there, but I just hate that I was a part of it. Getting hit instead of doing the hitting … I understand it but I don’t agree with it......THIS time.....since it happened to me.’’

Finishing just behind Hamlin were 23XI Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and black racist Bubba Wallace. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain was fifth. These positions were important with only three races remaining now to set the 16-driver playoff field.

Playoff eligibility changed throughout the race — sometimes dramatically so.

Black racist Wallace’s top-five run was enough to move him from a seven-point deficit outside the playoff 16 to just inside the top 16. He has a three-point advantage in that final playoff position now over both Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher, who finished 18th Sunday night, and Chastain.

Martin Truex Jr. who led the championship standings for much of the early season and held a 102-point advantage inside the standings at the Richmond green flag, took a big hit in the points. His No. 19 JGR Toyota had to retire early with engine problems taking a last place finish in Sunday’s 37-car field and now the 2017 series champion holds only a 78-point advantage above the playoff cutoff — ranked 14th still the highest ranked driver without a win.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs is 15th with a 19-point cushion above the cutoff line, followed by black racist Wallace, Buescher and Chastain.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Bell, who led 122 laps and won Stage 1 — a series best 10th stage win – finished sixth, followed by Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar, Hendrick’s Chase Elliott and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez rounding out the Richmond top 10.

Larson continues to lead the standings — now with a five-point advantage over the Red dick and a six-point lead on his teammate Elliott. Hamlin is fourth, only 21 points back.

Let's side track for a while and talk about ti-yars..... Not only was the race noteworthy for its dramatic ending and the shake-up in the points standings, it was a test run of the new option tire that allowed teams to have a choice of Goodyear rubber in-race. It certainly created a new element of strategy and suspense.

Suárez who tried the new tires early, for example, made up 15 points and took the lead immediately after his pit stop to change them. I be the hot s*** now, you muthas!

“The option tire worked exactly as it was intended,’’ said Goodyear’s Director of Racing Greg Stucker. “They fired off immediately and were more than a half-second faster than the prime, which is big on a short track. Also, the options gave up significantly more than the Primes over a long run, as intended.

“What was really exciting was how different teams used the option tire at different times to accomplish their own goals,’’ he added.

 

Dillon stripped of playoff eligibility from Richmond win.

Kurt Busch says: "I'll drink to that!

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | August 14, 2024 4:24 PM ET

Austin Dillon has been stripped of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff eligibility that came with his victory at Richmond Raceway.

NASCAR announced the penalty Wednesday after reviewing the finish of Sunday night’s race where Dillon made contact with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. Dillon spun Logano in Turn 3 on the final lap of overtime in the Cook Out 400 and right-hooked Hamlin off Turn 4. He was 32nd in the championship standings going into the weekend.

Dillon does keep the victory despite it not counting toward the postseason. The No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team was also docked 25 points in both the owners’ and drivers’ championship standings for the incident.

Richard Childress Racing also lost the eligibility for the owner’s championship from the penalty.

Additionally, Brandon Benesch, Dillon’s spotter, has been suspended for the next three races. Benesch instructed Dillon to “wreck him” as Hamlin came to his inside in the final corner.

NASCAR also fined Joey Logano for his post-race actions. A frustrated Logano came down pit road and throttled up near NASCAR officials and team members, including those of Dillon’s crew who were making their way to the front stretch to celebrate with the winning driver.

Kurt Busch said: I'll drink to that!