There’s a fine line between racing hard and deliberately taking the opposition out of commission. Going by Austin Dillon’s controversial tactics to win at Richmond, he chose to use the latter. The Richard Childress Racing star dumped not one but two cars out of his way during the final lap of the Federated Auto Parts 400 race.

Joey Logano felt the wrath of Dillon’s bump and run, whereas Denny Hamlin became his second victim after he was put into the wall by the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro. Taking out Logano was perhaps the only way Dillon could’ve snagged the win, but having dismantled the No. 11 car, his intentions are not under scrutiny.

On initial viewing, it does look like Dillon had no intention of racing Hamlin to the finish line and therefore wrecked. But the RCR driver has now come out to explain his side of the story, feeling sorry about wrecking the JGR star.

Could Dillon have avoided bumping into the #11 car?

Unable to fire off well on the restart during overtime, the only possible way Austin Dillon could get in the victory lane was by putting his bumper in the back of the #22 car. Coming onto the final lap on turns 3 and 4, the RCRC driver didn’t lift and wrecked Logano from behind, sending him into the wall.

However, Hamlin tried to sneak a win for himself by taking the inside lane. But while exiting the corner, he washed up right in front of Dillon’s car and got hit in the rear bumper. The contact saw him crash into the safer barriers, giving Dillon a clear path to his first win of the season. While the first contact was indeed intentional, he certainly didn’t wish the same for Hamlin.

“The Denny part—I hate it, Denny protected me earlier this year on his podcast when times were really tough. We were getting wrecked out and just not running worth the darn for the last two years and shoot him in his basketball league. I’m supposed to be playing him Thursday in basketball.” Dillon said this via the Dale Jr. Download podcast.

“I thought his first reaction after the car was fair, he knew what I was having to try and do to win the race and when he said that he didn’t know I was there on the outside of him, I really don’t think he did,” the RCR driver added. However, this win was a double whammy for the veteran driver. Not only did he miss out on back-to-back Richmond wins, but his driver, Bubba Wallace, is now up against the odds to make the final 16.

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An outside winner was not in the script, at least not in the first race after a mid-season break. Austin Dillon’s victory had some serious ramifications for drivers like Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, and Chris Buescher. Although Wallace finished inside the top 5, he could only manage to gain a spot and is currently placed 16th, right on the bubble.

Ross Chastain, who was previously on the bubble, dropped out of the safe zone despite a P5 finish. The biggest loser of all was Chris Buescher, who was in a rather good spot to make the cut and now finds himself three points below the cutline. A top-20 finish certainly puts his qualification in limbo with just three races to go in the regular season. Talking about the seismic effects of Dillon’s win, Ty Gibbs, who looked solid and out of danger, is now just 18 points off the cutline.

This result was indeed a stark reminder for these drivers to not rely solely on points and try to compete for a win. Given that the Daytona race is still in the mix, we cannot rule out another surprise win. So the last three races are going to be a nail-biting affair, to say the least.