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NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace has voiced his opinion on the controversial end of the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on Sunday. RCR driver Austin Dillon emerged victorious in the first points race following NASCAR's two-week hiatus.
Austin Dillon, who drives the #3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, drove down victory lane at Richmond after a risky move in the final stretch of the race. Dillon was in P2 when the white flag was waved, sandwiched between Team Penske's Joey Logano and Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin.
The #3 driver proceeded to bump into the rear of Logano's #22 Ford, spinning him off into the wall. However, the chaos continued, with Dillon also bumping into Hamlin's #11 car that had passed him during his tussle with Logano. Dillon eventually managed to secure a win.
Former Cup Series driver Kenny Wallace shared his thoughts on the incident in the final lap of the Cook Out 400. Wallace shared a video on his YouTube channel in which he said,
"What we know is that what Austin Dillon did was wrong. I'm going to admit it was wrong but we watched Dale Sr. do that to Terry Labonte at Bristol, the flying Aces were there to back them up[...]Austin had a lot going for him. He had to win that race or else he was not going to be in the playoffs." [01:44]
"Austin Dillon did what he had to do to get in the playoffs. Are they going to fine him? Hell I don't know. They can't fine him. If they fine him then NASCAR's guilty of saying he did something wrong," the 60-year-old added.[04:25]
Meanwhile, Dillon's RCR teammate Kyle Busch had a promising race derailed by a pit road delay requiring a re-jack to secure a wheel. Despite the setback, the former champion stole the show with a daring pit stop maneuver. Faced with a painful wrist injury sustained at Indy, Busch used a pair of scissors provided by his crew to cut off his hand wraps while driving under caution.
Busch finished the Cook Out 400 in P23, adding to his struggles in the 2024 season.
"Our DNA has been aggressive" - NASCAR VP Elton Sawyer comments on last lap incident at Richmond
NASCAR's Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer, recently shed light on the incident involving Austin Dillon, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin.
Here's what Sawyer said in a post-race interview (via NASCAR on X):
"We're gonna look at all the video. We're gonna listen to the audio. We want to make the right decision[...]Our DNA has been for years to be aggressive, but we just got to make sure that we do that in the right way"
Dillon is facing intense criticism from the NASCAR community for the controversial double-contact move on the final lap of the Cook Out 400. The risky maneuver secured Dillon the race victory and a coveted playoff spot.
