NASCAR Insider deems Austin Dillon’s win at Richmond “fair” despite final lap chaos with Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano

Austin Dillon created quite the buzz with his controversial final lap maneuver at Richmond. The Richard Childress driver took out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final turn of the race to win the Richmond race and book his playoff berth. Both Logano and Hamlin were furious at the #3 car driver after the race.

Dillon defended himself in the post-race interview by calling the move “a part of our sport”. The RCR driver also called out Hamlin and Logano for making similar moves to win in the past.

Meanwhile, Austin Dillon found support for his controversial move from NASCAR Insider Jordan Bianchi. The journalist gave his views on the Dirty Mo Media podcast and said:

“It's fair, because this is the system. Is it right? Is it ethical? No. Is it good sportsmanship? No, it's none of those things. But this is the system. The system is when, at all costs, you win to get in the playoffs, you win to in the playoffs to advance around, and you find a way to get the job done.”

He further continued:

“We have seen numerous instances since this format was instituted in 2014. Whether it was Harvick at Talladega, Newman and Kyle Larson at Phoenix, the list goes on. It doesn't matter.”

“They don't take away wins when the situation. They let these things stand.”

Joey Logano blasts Austin Dillon after Richmond race - "It's a bunch of BS"

Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano were the unfortunate victims caught up in the Austin Dillon fiasco. The Penske driver looked set for his second win of the season, but fate and Dillon had other ideas.

Joey Logano eventually finished the race in T19. The two-time Cup Series champion also had some harsh words to say to the RCR driver.

Logano furiously stated in the post-race interview:

"Chickenshit, there's no doubt about it. He's 4 car lengths back. Then he wrecked the 11. And then he goes up there and thanks God with his baby. It's a bunch of BS.. It's ridiculous that that's the way we race. I get bump and run, I do that .. what a piece of crap,"

With his win at Richmond, Austin Dillon and RCR qualify for the playoffs. The Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway in the second week after the Olympics break.

In other news, it was also a positive day for playoff berth hopeful Bubba Wallace. The 23XI Racing driver finished T4 behind Dillon, Hamlin, and teammate Tyler Reddick. However, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch’s struggles continued at Richmond as their chances to qualify for the playoffs continued to slim down.