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Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin spoke about the controversial finish to the race at Richmond with Austin Dillon. He said that he "hate[-d]" to be involved in the incident. He also said that as a driver who causes such incidents, referring to Dillon, one would have to "pay your dues back on stuff like that."
The final two laps at Richmond Raceway in overtime were quite thrilling for the drivers, as Joey Logano took the lead of the field. Austin Dillon, who started the race in P6, was following the #22 Ford and dived deep into the Ford's rear on the final corner. This spun Logano out of contention to win the race. Moments later, Dillon did the same with pole-sitter Hamlin, who hit the wall. Ultimately, Dillon won the race.
Hamlin did not sound pleased talking about the incident after the race. He said:
"I don't know. I mean, the record book won't care, right? About what happened. He's going to be credited with the win, but obviously he's just not going to go far because it's, you know, you've got to pay your dues back on stuff like that.
"I just hate that I was part of it. You know, it'd have been fun if I was not one of the two guys that got taken out in the last corner, but I understand it. Doesn't mean I have to agree with it," he added.
Hamlin has been driving competitively this season. After Joey Logano's crash, he was seemingly headed toward his fourth win of the season. But he was denied victory by Dillon, for whom it was a first race win in nearly two years.
Austin Dillon on his final lap wreck with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin: "I had to do it"
Austin Dillon shared that this race was the first time for him in nearly two years that he felt that he had the chance to get into victory lane. He explained that given the circumstances, he "had to" do it.
The #3 Chevrolet driver said:
"I don’t know man, it’s been two years and this is the first car I’ve had a shot to win," Dillon told NBC.
"I felt like with two to go, we were the fastest car ... I hate to do that but sometimes you just got to have it. I have to thank the good Lord above. It's been tough over the last two years, man. I care about [Richard Childress Racing], my wife, and this is my first ... it means a lot. I hate it, but I had to do it," he added.
Dillon's 2024 campaign has been slightly lackluster. He has only finished six times within the top 20 up until yesterday. However, with his win at Richmond, he has locked up a place in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin qualified for the playoffs a while ago in the season with three wins.
