Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1, was sitting pretty as the laps ticked down at Richmond Raceway on August 11th, 2024, leading by a large margin as the checkered flag loomed. However, a late-race caution changed the course of the race and set the stage for an Overtime finish, neutralizing the field and forcing Dillon to defend the lead against the No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse of Joey Logano and the No. 11 Toyota TRD Camry of Denny Hamlin on the restart.
Dillon did just that, although his actions in the final lap have sparked quite the controversy as he appeared to intentionally move both Hamlin and Logano out of the way to clear the track before he went on to win.
Dillon took a shot at Logano’s rear bumper on the last lap, causing the Ford driver to spin out. This opened the lower groove for Hamlin, who attempted to dive into the lead, but Dillon’s No. 3 Camaro made contact with the Toyota, causing Hamlin to spin as well.
“I felt like with two to go, we were the fastest car. Obviously we had to have a straightaway. Wrecked the guy. I hate to do that, but sometimes you just got to do it,” Dillon said. “I got to thank the good Lord above. It’s been tough for the last two years, man. I care about [Richard Childress Racing], these fans, my wife. This is my first [win] for my baby girl. It means a lot. I hate it, but I had to do it. When given that shot, you’ve got to take it.”
Interestingly, in-car audio indicates that Dillon was instructed to “wreck” Logano by his spotter. Additionally, it’s worth noting that Hamlin was given his second-place finish back after the incident, while Logano was credited with 19th. Dillon’s win gives him an automatic pass from 32nd in points to the Playoffs. No penalties have been announced as of this writing.
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet | 408 | 35 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 2 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Rewards Toyota | 408 | 124 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 3 | 10 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | Mobil 1 Toyota | 408 | 8 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 4 | 8 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | Leidos Toyota | 408 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 5 | 22 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Jockey Infinite Cool Underwear Chevrolet | 408 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 6 | 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | DEWALT Carpentry Solutions Toyota | 408 | 122 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 7 | 15 | 5 | Kyle Larson | HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | 408 | 17 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 8 | 19 | 77 | Carson Hocevar # | Delaware Life Chevrolet | 408 | 2 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 9 | 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Coca-Cola Chevrolet | 408 | 5 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 10 | 21 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Choice Privileges Chevrolet | 408 | 93 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 11 | 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | BodyArmor Sport Water Ford | 408 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 12 | 12 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Cheddar's Patriotic Chevrolet | 408 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 13 | 13 | 24 | William Byron | Valvoline Chevrolet | 408 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 14 | 3 | 4 | Josh Berry # | P&G Supports Our Military Ford | 408 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 15 | 28 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Love's Travel Stops Ford | 408 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 16 | 29 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | BuildSubmarines.com Ford | 408 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 17 | 23 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | The Pete Store Ford | 408 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 18 | 7 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Fastenal Ford | 408 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 19 | 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Shell Pennzoil Ford | 408 | 2 | Ford Mustang |
| 20 | 16 | 10 | Noah Gragson | Overstock.com Ford | 407 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 21 | 25 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Rinnai Ford | 407 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 22 | 14 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | He Gets Us Toyota | 407 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 23 | 20 | 71 | Zane Smith # | Focused Health Chevrolet | 407 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 24 | 18 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Menards/Libman Ford | 407 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 25 | 26 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Mohawk Northeast Ford | 407 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 26 | 30 | 16 | Ty Dillon(i) | Chevy Accessories Chevrolet | 407 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 27 | 36 | 51 | Justin Haley | Pinnacle Home Improvement Ford | 406 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 28 | 17 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Ally Chevrolet | 406 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 29 | 27 | 43 | Erik Jones | Family Dollar Toyota | 406 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 30 | 32 | 31 | Daniel Hemric | Cirkul Chevrolet | 406 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 31 | 35 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota | 405 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
| 32 | 31 | 21 | Harrison Burton | DEX Imaging Ford | 405 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 33 | 34 | 15 | Riley Herbst(i) | Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford | 405 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 34 | 24 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Advisor Advantage/Clear Spring Chevrolet | 404 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 35 | 37 | 66 | * Parker Retzlaff(i) | XInsurance Ford | 402 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 36 | 33 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Kroger/General Mills Box Tops Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
| 37 | 2 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops Toyota | 250 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
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View Comments
As man time as the #22 wrecked somebody to win and #11 took out the #5. They have no room to sit and cry, the babies. Maybe they should look back how they won.
I'll give it to Dillon, he somehow united the whole of NASCAR against Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano of all drivers
Fist of all that’s what makes the races exciting to watch, also it was Dillions race to win he was way ahead with 2 laps to go and deserved to win the race, the late caution was the only reason why the babies were in contention. I was so glade to see the cry babies knocked out of a win that they should not of had anyway.
I would like to see Ross Chastain knock baby Joey out next week and get a win. Chastain in playoffs will make it much more enjoyable to watch.
All true comments. This is nothing new moving guys out of the way. Don't like it but NASCAR let it get out of control. They may fine Dillon but they never take away the win or prize money. Remember 'Have at Boys'? Hamlin and Logano are the poster boys for moving guys for a win. Blame it on points system.
Two of the biggest cry babies the sport has ever seen. If Logano didn’t want to get hit then he shouldn’t have slowed down. Hamlin rode up the track as much as much as Dillon came down. When your car has the number 3 on it maybe someone’s spirit took over.
And THAT explains why I watch professional drivers in the IMSA series, and gave up on NASCAR decades ago..
He took out a Ford and Toyota what’s the problem
It’s a shame Dillon couldn’t take out Wallace too. If the race was a few more laps I’m sure Wallace would have found a wall to his liking.
Dillon will find out the hard way why Karma is known as a "B****" .
Well, I'm pretty sure the 11 & 22 got a taste of bad karma for their past digressions. They sure got their comeuppance.
So good to see the 22 get a taste of his own medicine. Then to have him whine about it. So sweet.
Its all NASCARS fault for adopting the stupid "playoffs" and who can be in them or outside with no chance. NASCAR ruined the series, its not baseball
Ugh, people need to learn that the chrome horn is eternal.
Taken over by the spirit of Earnhardt……yeah, that’s the ticket!
People didn't like it when Dale Sr. did it, either