NASCAR: Austin Dillon’s penalty could end another driver’s season

NASCAR: Austin Dillon's penalty could end another driver's season

As a dedicated NASCAR fan with decades of racing knowledge under my belt, I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Austin Dillon. His victory at Richmond Raceway was a triumphant moment, marred by the encumberment that followed. It’s a bitter pill to swallow when your win doesn’t count towards the playoffs, especially when it opens up spots for others.

As I celebrated my win at Richmond Raceway in August for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series, little did I know that my triumphant moment would come under scrutiny. My aggressive move on the final corner, causing Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin to spin out, earned me the checkered flag, but it also drew the ire of NASCAR officials. They decided to penalize my victory from a postseason standpoint, leaving me with a tough lesson learned about sportsmanship on the track.

Dillon didn’t manage to win another race during the regular season, resulting in him missing out on a postseason position consisting of 16 drivers for the second consecutive year. This was his first time since his debut seasons (2014 and 2015) in the Cup Series that he failed to make it into the postseason.

During the 26-race regular season, a total of 15 racers emerged victorious. However, Dillon’s win was ineligible for playoff consideration. Consequently, only 14 winners qualified for the playoffs, thus creating two vacant spots that could be filled by drivers earning points.

Thanks to Dillon, Truex makes playoffs in final full season

In a turn of events based on points, both Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr., teammates from Joe Gibbs Racing, clinched the two qualifying positions. However, it was Martin Truex Jr. who was able to take advantage of Austin Dillon’s disqualification, earning the spot for himself.

In the first two out of the three initial events in a four-round, ten-race playoff series, Dillon has amassed just 26 points. Originally, he would have begun the playoffs with 2,005 points (2,000 regular points and five bonus points for his race victory).

Currently, Chase Briscoe from Stewart-Haas Racing holds the 12th position, which is the last spot above the cutoff line for the round of 12, with a total of 2,049 points. This puts Tyler Dillon 18 points behind him as they prepare for the final race of the round of 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

To put it simply, Dillon is unlikely to make significant progress, given that Bristol is one of his least favorable tracks and he hasn’t placed in the top 10 on its concrete surface for over four years.

14 points beneath the qualifying line, Truex acknowledges his own position, yet he has historically demonstrated greater strength at Bristol. This includes a second-place finish in March, where he led 54 laps around the fast-paced, four-corner, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) high-banked oval in Bristol, Tennessee.

If Truex manages to move forward to the round of 12 and Dillon’s potential points remain below the top 12, it means that Dillon’s penalty may have denied another driver a chance to compete in the quarterfinal round. Specifically, whichever driver ends the round of 16 in 13th position would have advanced to this round if Truex hadn’t qualified for the playoffs.

At the moment, Hamlin stands as the leading driver among those below the cut line, with Brad Keselowski from RFK Racing trailing closely behind. Hamlin is currently six points adrift, while Keselowski finds himself 12 points in arrears. As for Harrison Burton of Wood Brothers Racing, he’s got a tough challenge ahead to advance from his current 16th position, as he’s 20 points behind the required tally.

Dillon’s penalty might prevent another racer from moving forward in the elimination round. Don’t forget to catch the live telecast on USA Network at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, September 21, as the Bass Pro Shops Night Race unfolds at Bristol Motor Speedway.

2024-09-17 15:02

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