With the appeals process behind him, Austin Dillon has shared his side of the story over what he believes happened on the final lap at Richmond Raceway and why he still feels he should not have been stripped of a playoff berth.
Dillon remains the winner of the Cook Out 400 at Richmond, but it came only after he initiated contact with both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final corner to reach the finish line first. It took three days for NASCAR to review the data but it ultimate stripped him of the benefits that came with his victory, primarily the playoff berth.
That decision was made after reviewing throttle trace telemetry that painted a pretty damning picture about his intent regarding both Logano and Hamlin. Spotter Brandon Benesch was also suspended three races for radio transmission that said ‘wreck him’ but it was reduced to one race on appeal.
Richard Childress Racing appealed the penalty on the whole but it was upheld by the three-member National Motorsports Appeal Panel and upheld again by Final Appeals Officer Bill Mullis .