The hammer has finally dropped as NASCAR breaks its long-preserved silence on the Richmond debacle. When Austin Dillon made his way to the victory lane after wrecking two cars right before the checkered flag, the entire NASCAR world conjoined in rage. Everyone in the fraternity has been voicing their concerns with the hope of keeping their passion for the sport alive.

Now is the time to give credit to the officials for having made the right call and living up to the expectations of all the stakeholders. NASCAR has proved that there is no win bigger than the sport, and no one is exempt from judgment.

Why did NASCAR take so long to speak up?

This Sunday’s race at Richmond Raceway was a line that should’ve never been crossed. It was outrageous, and it was unfair. But there’s bigger fish to fry. The need of the hour was not just to call out the wrongdoing, but to clarify NASCAR’s position on such acts if they ever recur in the future.

NASCAR’s Senior VP for Competition, Elton Sawyer, set the record straight with the media by announcing that the matter was grave and it needed to be dealt with correctly. He apologized to the NASCAR fans, reassuring everyone that NASCAR was doing its job. As Jeff Gluck updated the community on X, he wrote, quoting Sawyer, “The magnitude of this decision was and is huge, so we felt like it was very important we get this right.”

When Jeff Gluck asked Sawyer what he wanted to convey to the drivers to help them know their limits, he clarified that drivers had already been told their limits. Sawyer added, “I promise you, as a race car driver, they know where the line is. It’s been a few years since I did it, but I promise you, I knew where the line was. Hard NASCAR racing — little bump, little tire mark, moving a guy up out of the out of the groove to win a race — we’ve done that for years. What happened on Sunday night crossed the line.”

Everyone needs to acknowledge their responsibility towards the sport they’re involved in. Most teams and drivers do that, but when some tend to bend the rules, they need to be reprimanded. NASCAR has given a very sound verdict, one that even Dale Earnhardt Jr. had suggested.

What impact will NASCAR’s Richmond Penalty Report have on RCR?

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Austin Dillon has been stripped of his playoff position, besides taking 25 driver points from his credit. The spotter who was heard nudging Dillon to floor his car, wrecking the cars in front of him, has been suspended for the remaining regular season. The team has been allowed to appeal, but NASCAR has clearly stated its opinion.

Ironically, Joey Logano faced a similar verdict in 2017 after he wrecked a car and won at Richmond. And he hasn’t been spared this time either, as he scared the bystanders in the pit lane. Logano has been fined $50,000 for the rash driving, which seems to be just. Reacting to RCR’s tweet expressing disappointment and indicating its appeal against the verdict, Denny Hamlin wrote, “Not as disappointed as I was off turn 4.”

Eric Estepp has also commented in his latest video that there is a lack of self-policing in the current format of the sport. So, while NASCAR has tried to stay away from holding a stick over some paint exchange, or bump and run, it has kept its foot down on reckless moves.

As the tables have turned, it seems all the more reasonable why Austin Dillon was talking to Dale Jr. about running the team in the future.

Are you happy with NASCAR’s report on RCR?