Under-fire NASCAR Cup race winner Austin Dillon insists that his spotter’s “wreck him” call before he collided with Denny Hamlin at Richmond on Sunday night “didn’t change” what then happened.
Dillon qualified for the playoffs with his victory but is awaiting NASCAR’s penalty report from the weekend to see if it chooses to penalise him for wrecking both Hamlin and Joey Logano at the final corners of the last lap.
NASCAR has delayed its report, which is traditionally communicated on Tuesdays, as it is understood to be considering several cases – which will include Logano’s wild burnout in front of Dillon’s pit stall, where Austin’s family had congregated.
Dillon argued that he “had the car under control with the hard entry” at Turn 3, when he rammed Logano into a spin.
And it was at that point that his spotter told him to move down the track as Hamlin was set to sweep past on his inside, shouting “Down, down, down, run him down – wreck him!” just before the collision that sent hooked Hamlin hard into the Turn 4 wall.
Speaking on today’s episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, Dillon said it was the pressure of the moment that led to that outburst.
“I’m expecting something, obviously,” he said of NASCAR’s upcoming penalty decisions. “As far as my spotter, I talked to him, and I truly think that emotions were really high for us, as the 3 car.
“We’ve been beat up and banged up for a while now, and with two laps to go we had a three-second lead at Richmond, and a caution comes out. Now we’re here talking about things that take away from the car that we really had.
“From our spotter, I believe he became a fan in the stands on the last lap of Austin Dillon and RCR. He was just saying what came to his mind in the moment and it was wrong. I’m sure there’s going to be something from that.
“But what he was saying didn’t change what happened in Turns 3 and 4. I’m driving at that point for all it’s worth and he’s just keying the mic, talking. I know he’s bummed about that, but he’s had my back through a lot of the rough patches that we’ve had. I can’t fault him for being a fan at that moment.”
Dillon also dissected his version of events and how he drove against Hamlin, during one of the most controversial endings in NASCAR Cup history.
“On exit of Turn 4 at Richmond the track naturally drives you to the wall when you’re running the yellow line,” said Dillon. “Denny’s on that lower line, and I have a really good kinda diamond angle at the track at this point.
“So, my vision is clear still, and my straightest point to the finish is about mid-track. Which isn’t optimal for the guy coming up the track. Denny said in his podcast that he didn’t even know I was there.
“When he came into my view, he was carrying more speed than I am. If he clears me a little bit further, none of this happens. If he’s half a car length further back, he takes me to the wall and we both crash [there].
“His right-rear catches my left-front. At that point, if I hold the wheel right, I’m going [towards the outside wall], so I’m turning to keep the same direction I’m going.
“The Denny part, I hate it. Denny protected me earlier this year on his podcast when times were really tough, when we were getting wrecked out and not running worth a darn for two years. Shoot, I’m in his basketball league and I’m supposed to play him on Thursday.”
