“Really disappointing NASCAR allows such stuff”: Joey Logano’s crew chief baffled by Austin Dillon not being penalized at Richmond

Austin Dillon snatched the victory from Joey Logano in the Cook Out 400 race at Richmond Raceway in a controversial last-lap move. Logano's crew chief Paul Wolfe criticized NASCAR for allowing the incident to go unchecked.

Logano led the pack during the first overtime restart on Lap 407. With over a car length between him and Dillon, it looked like a comfortable win for the two-time Cup Series champion. However, just ahead of the penultimate turn on the last lap, the #3 Richard Childress Racing driver bumped Logano, causing him to lose the rear end and crash into the outside wall.

Dillon went on to clinch his first victory of the season, thereby securing a spot in the 2024 Playoffs. Logano's crew chief Wolfe criticized NASCAR's seeming lack of response to the race-altering incident during the post-race interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

"It's just unfortunate what it turned into there on the last corner of the last lap. I'm not sure really what to say about that. I mean, it's as far from racing as you can get, and it's really disappointing that NASCAR allows stuff like that to go on," Wolfe commented (0:00 onwards).

"That wasn't a racing incident. 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," he added (0:49 onwards).

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"It’s a bunch of BS. Not even freaking close" - Joey Logano criticized Austin Dillon's move at Richmond Raceway

Former Cup Series champion Joey Logano lost the race at the last corner of the final lap after a bump-and-run move from RCR's Austin Dillon at Richmond Raceway on Sunday, August 11.

The Team Penske driver maintained the lead going into the first and only overtime restart of the Cook Out 400 race. In a last-ditch attempt to take the win, Dillon tried to pass the #22 racer on the final corner. However, the former overshot the move which resulted in high-speed contact between him and Logano.

This caused Logano to lose control and crash into the outside wall a few hundred meters from the finish line.

“He was four car-lengths back, it wasn’t even close. It’s a bunch of BS. Not even freaking close. Bump-and-run, I get it, but he got in there and just drove through me. It’s ridiculous,” Logano commented during a post-race media interaction.

Denny Hamlin, who was also at the receiving end from Dillon, shared a similar view to Logano.

“It’s obviously foul,” Hamlin said after the race.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR's Senior Vice President of Competition, commented that the governing body will be investigating the last-lap incident and will issue penalties, if necessary.