Desperate times call for desperate measures. That is what swirled in underdog driver Austin Dillon‘s head in the last laps of the Richmond race. He grew aggressive to score a long-awaited win to bring a smile to Richard Childress’ face. However, two stellar Cup Series drivers now have scores to settle with the No. 3 RCR Chevy driver. Yet that may not be a bad thing.

Dillon was drooping at the extreme end of the playoff bubble before the race. But he dramatically yanked himself out while earning the spotlight as the detractor of two famous racers. And those who have had a penchant for being wild before – so Dillon may have helped himself up.

Austin Dillon is back in the conversation

Both Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano have had stellar runs. Hamlin, a 54-time Cup winner won three times this year already, having swept the spring race in Richmond. Logano holds two championships along with 33 career wins, despite being the same age as 5-time winner Austin Dillon. So when the Richard Childress Racing driver snuffed out both, he may have axed his reputation a tad bit. But Dillon proved that he can still beat the best in their own game.

That is what ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ hosts emphasized while talking about the Cook Out 400 finish. Similar to NASCAR journalist Jordan Bianchi’s comments, Brett Griffin also blamed the cutthroat playoff system for this mess. “If you’re gonna be mad at anybody here, you have to be mad at NASCAR. The rule is, win and you’re in. Austin Dillon is 32nd in points, hasn’t won in two years. People are talking about how he should quit.” 

With two laps to go on Sunday’s race at Richmond Raceway, Austin Dillon saw his window slipping away when a wreck ensued. Logano picked up the lead, but Dillon then took matters into his own hands. He shoved both Logano and a rapidly charging Hamlin out of the way to ensnare the win. T.J. Majors observed how trading paint with the best of the sport would actually help Dillon. “He’s honestly now relevant because of these moves more than the win, just straight up.”

Dillon had a dry streak for two years, with his last win on August 28th, 2022. The driver did not have a bunch of spectacular runs either – he finished at a measly 29th place in 2023, and this year his best finish was 6th at Gateway. So Kraft justified Austin Dillon’s aggressive approach: “But you have to do this. You have to do this for your guys, your sponsors.” Griffin recalled both Hamlin and Logano’s wrecking talents. “They’re arrogant a**holes, they wreck a lot of people to win…Listen, I like both of these guys personally, both of them are good news…But he wrecked the two biggest a**holes in the sport!”

Indeed, both of Austin Dillon’s detractors slung mud at each other a little over a year ago.

Hamlin had slammed Logano

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Austin Dillon’s actions should not be so shocking. NASCAR is famous for such aggression and wrecks that led to eventual wins. Even Dillon’s detractors themselves are renowned for controversial races. Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano themselves conflicted a few times, like in the 2019 Martinsville race. r Hamlin put Logano into the wall at Turn 4, causing serious damage to Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang. Later, the two almost slipped into a fistfight as Logano slapped Hamlin on the shoulder. “We were having a discussion, everything was civil, and then, like Joey does, he does a little push and then runs away,” Hamlin revealed at the time.

Last year during the Martinsville playoff race, Hamlin made sure to observe his Penske rival’s wreckball tactics. This time, Logano hit the back of Ty Gibbs’ Toyota which spiraled into a multi-car crash. Considering that Logano thought of taking out his teammate, Hamlin expressed his frustration. “I don’t love the way the 22 [Logano] was racing guys that had earned their position to race for a championship. He’s kind of knocking guys out of the way.” He continued, “I think if the roles were reversed, he’d probably have a little problem with that.”

Clearly, Austin Dillon challenged two hotheaded drivers of the sport. With his position in the playoffs secured, the RCR driver may have a lot on his plate to tackle possible retaliatory moves.