Austin Dillon hasn’t won many Cup Series races. Having done it at Richmond Raceway on Sunday, the Richard Childress Racing driver certainly stunned many. However, it all came at the cost of a massive controversy. While Dillon confirmed his place in the playoffs, it could all go south if NASCAR decides to punish him severely. Most certainly, this would be bothering Richard Childress.

In a season where Kyle Busch’s form at RCR has been questionable, Austin Dillon has struggled immensely. Before the Richmond race, Dillon failed to finish in the top five even once, let alone the prospect of a win. That said, he ended his 68-race winless run on Sunday but chances of it being marred by NASCAR’s verdict look plenty.

Richard Childress’ Nashville experience indicates a short-lived happiness for Austin Dillon

Drama was at the epicenter of the Cup Series on Sunday at Richmond Raceway. A caution on lap 399 out of 400 resulted in a green-white-checkered finish. The resulting restart saw Joey Logano take the lead ahead of Austin Dillon. Despite leading 35 laps, the Richard Childress Racing driver saw his impressive run almost go away in vain.

It is then that the #3 driver ran into the back of Logano between Turns 3 and 4, sending the Team Penske driver into the wall. Following this event, Denny Hamlin went past Austin Dillon. However, it appeared that Dillon hit Hamlin’s right rear, sending him into the wall as well. While both these events took place quickly, they surely put Dillon’s decision-making in the spotlight.

Even though Richard Childress’ grandson cruised to his first Cup Series victory after the August 2022 win at Daytona, questions have been raised about how he won. Unsurprisingly, many drivers including Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin were left fuming after the race. While Dillon’s act looked intentional, he escaped any immediate punishment from NASCAR.

That said, senior vice president of the competition Elton Sawyer alerted of a repurcussion after the race. Speaking about the incident, as reported by NBCSports.com, Sawyer said, “Our sport has been a contact sport for a long time. We always hear ‘Where’s the line and did someone cross the line? I would say that the last lap was awful close to the line.”

He confirmed digging deep into the matter as he continued, “We’ll take a look at all the available resources from audio to video. The spotters, we’ll listen to, crew chiefs and drivers and if anything rises to a level that we feel like we need to penalize, then we’ll do that on Tuesday.” While that should bring some relief to the likes of Logano and Hamlin, Dillon would find the next few statements more concerning.

When asked if Austin Dillon could see his win taken away, Elton Sawyer said, “Historically, that hasn’t been our DNA to take races away, but that’s not to say that going forward this wouldn’t start to set a precedent of do we have to look at it. It happened fast, but if you look at that, in my view, that’s getting right up really close to crossing the line.”

Those words from Sawyer should bother Austin Dillon and Richard Childress, especially how they suffered a severe punishment from NASCAR last season. Interestingly, the governing body penalized RCR driver Sheldon Creed with a $25,000 fine and docked 25 points in the Xfinity Series standings. The punishment came after Creed caused a crash after he made contact with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Sammy Smith’s car in 2023 at Nashville Superspeedway.

While it could get worse for Austin Dillon, there’s no guarantee how NASCAR will go about things. Considering Dillon’s history, it doesn’t look good for Richard Childress’ grandson.

Austin Dillon faces a landmark decision in the history of NASCAR following the Richmond controversy

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What happened in Richmond on Sunday shocked many. Multiple facets of Austin Dillon and the RCR team’s decisions were surprising to say, the least. Post his victory, Dillon confirmed how the incentive of qualifying for the playoffs inspired him and to a certain extent, blinded his decision-making. It only gets worse with reports of his spotter asking to “wreck intentionally” on the radio surfaced.

While NASCAR promotes competitive racing, there’s a line that need not be crossed. It is easy for any of the other drivers hunting for a place in the playoffs to make such moves in the remaining races. Having said that, is this what NASCAR has become? Doing “whatever it takes to win” might be inspiring but if it is at the cost of sportsmanship and dishonoring the game, it might not just be worth it.

To add, Austin Dillon’s history doesn’t make his Richmond victory any pretty. From four of his other Cup Series victories, two have been marred with controversies as well. His 2018 Daytona 500 win saw Dillon hit Aric Almirola in the right rear. Surprisingly, his win in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway witnessed the #3 driver tapping Austin Cindric in the dying laps to register a victory.

Most certainly, calling Austin Dillon’s victories clean would be an exaggeration. His controversial win at Richmond only raised more eyebrows and it now all comes down on NASCAR to make a call that has been never made. To take away a win from a driver would not only be a monumental decision, but a statement of the highest order. Having said that, do Dillon’s actions merit such a decision, or is docking points and a fine a fair decision? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.