Dillon spins Logano on the last lap and wins in overtime at Richmond for the first victory in 2 years

RICHMOND, Virginia – Desperate to win for the first time in almost two years – and with the race suddenly disappearing – Austin Dillon sent two cars into the wall in quick succession.

The result was a season-changing victory, an avalanche of controversy and at least two veteran drivers who were absolutely furious.

“I hate to do this, but sometimes you just have to,” Dillon said.

Dillon raced and powered his way to victory on Sunday night, sending Joey Logano for a spin on the last lap to win in overtime at Richmond. It was his first victory since August 28, 2022, at Daytona. He had just two top-10 finishes this year and entered the race 32nd in the standings. Now he’s on track for the playoffs — but he didn’t get there smoothly.

Dillon appeared to be heading towards victory when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece collidedforcing the first caution of the entire 400-lap, 300-mile race, in addition to the pre-programmed ones after the end of the first two stages.

So, the drivers went to extra time and Logano clearly got the better of Dillon on the restart. Then Dillon came right behind Logano and spun him around.

“It’s ridiculous that this is how we run. Unbelievable,” Logano said. “I get bumps and run. I do this. I would expect that. But four cars away, he would never make the turn. And then he destroys the other car. He destroys 11 to keep up. Crap.”

11 was Denny Hamlin, who appeared to be passing Dillon on the inside after Dillon crashed into Logano’s No. 22 car. Then Dillon hit the right rear of Hamlin’s car and threw him into the wall as well.

“He’ll get credit for the win, but obviously he won’t go far,” Hamlin said. “You have to pay your dues for things like this. But it’s worth it, as they jump 20 positions in points. So I understand all of this. There is no ill will there. I understand. I just hate that I was a part of this. It would have been fun if I wasn’t one of the two guys who got eliminated at the last turn.”

Dillon emerged from all the chaos with a victory in his No. 3 Chevrolet. That number was famously driven – often aggressively – by Dale Earnhardt. But times have changed since Earnhardt’s heyday, and Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, made it clear that the end of this race would be considered.

“In my opinion, this is very close to overstepping the bounds,” Sawyer said.

In fact, vacating victory, however, would be an extraordinary step.

“Historically, that hasn’t been our DNA to eliminate racing, but that doesn’t mean going forward it wouldn’t set a precedent,” Sawyer said. “We would have to take a look at that.”

Dillon appeared on track for a much less controversial victory after passing Hamlin and taking the lead with 29 laps to go. But then Stenhouse-Preece’s crash and subsequent restart left Dillon in danger of an agonizing defeat.

Dillon said he was trying to move Logano’s car, but hitting Hamlin was also an instant reaction.

“I saw Denny and Joey make moves that led people to victory,” Dillon said. “This was the first opportunity in two years to get a victory. … I’ve seen a lot of things over the years in NASCAR where people move people, and that’s just part of our sport.

Owner Richard Childress, Dillon’s grandfather, expressed a similar sentiment. Childress was also asked about possible audio of Dillon being told to destroy another driver during the frantic finish.

“I didn’t hear him and I was on the radio with him. We’ll see,” Childress said. “If he did that, he did a great job. He won the race.”

Hamlin finished second, followed by Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain. Dillon’s victory was not good news for Wallace and the other drivers on the playoff bubble.

“It’s good to leave here with a top-five finish,” Wallace said. “We have a long way to go. We just have to keep fighting. I think you can drop someone and raise someone and be fine. It’s funny how that works.”

Christopher Bell won the first stage, but was later penalized for speeding on pit road and finished sixth. Daniel Suárez won the second stage.

Martin Truex Jr. was eliminated from the race due to engine problems at the beginning of the final stage. He remains the best driver without victories in the standings.

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