In a race that could have been scripted for a Hollywood thriller, Austin Dillon found himself at the center of controversy at the Cookout 400. Picture this: Dillon, trailing Joey Logano by more than a car length, decides to rear-end him in a bold bid for the lead. The gamble pays off momentarily, but Denny Hamlin charges forward, only to be wrecked by Dillon as well. Dillon crosses the finish line first, but the celebration is short-lived.

As the dust settles, NASCAR initially declares Dillon the winner. Yet, the victory is tainted. Fans flood social media, their outrage echoing through the racing community. The uproar forces NASCAR to take a hard look at Dillon’s aggressive tactics. Their verdict? While Dillon may have claimed the race, his actions don’t warrant a playoff spot.

The repercussions ripple through the RCR team, with NASCAR imposing additional sanctions. Dillon’s controversial win at the Cookout 400 serves as a stark reminder: in the world of racing, victory is as much about integrity as it is about speed.

Dale Jr. discusses NASCAR’s decision to take Austin Dillon out of the playoffs

The Richard Childress Racing driver has had a tough season so far. Making it only into the top 10, excluding the Richmond race, would not cut it, and that was something he and the team knew. So when he got a chance to try to win the race, he did everything he could to make it happen. The controversy is being discussed at length by many critics and Dale Jr. was one of them.

In the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download, the team talks about what the penalty of excluding Dillon from the playoffs really means to the team. Dale Jr. also points out that if RCR wants to appeal to NASCAR about Dillon losing his playoff spot, now would be the time. Seeing how other teams make appeals, Dale Jr. stated, “Yeah, I guess they could. I don’t even know if they can, and maybe they will.”

Dale Jr. discussed the radio message of the crew chief asking the driver to wreck Logano and how Richard Childress would need to make a case based on the SMT data. The commotion caused on the last lap had people confused as to who to put the responsibility on, but the data cleared up whose fault it was.

The host then stated, “I believe that this penalty, in my opinion, revolves around the contact with Denny Hamlin, not the 22. I could be wrong, but I believe that if Austin knocks the two 22 out of the way and that’s the end result, none of this ever happens.”

After claiming that Dale Jr. does not believe that Dillon wrecked Hamlin on purpose, he said, “So if they can appeal, I wouldn’t be surprised with everything at stake—an opportunity to be in the playoffs Although we know that they’re not a championship threat, it’s at least a couple million dollars for them to be in that playoff field. If they have an opportunity to appeal, I would not be surprised at all if it’s filed.”

Dale Jr. expects an appeal from Richard Childress Racing to be able to find a spot back into the playoffs and it looks like they have gone for it.

Richard Childress appeals NASCAR’s decision to take Austin Dillon out of the playoffs

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Richard Childress is not only a prominent team boss but also a driver with decades of experience under his belt. While Dale Jr. dropped a suggestion in his podcast, its highly unlikely that Childress decided to make an appeal to NASCAR by taking someone else’s advice.

Austin Dillon has been without a win for 68 races, and with the last win being so controversial, Childress is trying to do some damage reduction. While Richard Childress did not directly state that they would be appealing the decision, the official RCR X page made the announcement.

According to the tweet, “Richard Childress Racing is very disappointed in NASCAR’s penalty against the No. 3 team. We do not agree with the decision that was made and plan to appeal.” With this comes a chance for Austin Dillon to get back on the playoffs roster and only time will tell if NASCAR agrees with the team.

Considering everything, do you think that NASCAR will grant Austin Dillon a spot in the playoffs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.