The crusade for justice Denny Hamlin is on after the controversial finish at Richmond Raceway is finally getting attention. The 39-year-old Joe Gibbs driver is currently on a streak of relentless attacks toward Austin Dillon and NASCAR authorities. Initially, Hamlin had only gotten the support of some of his fellow racers in the Cup series, including Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace. But now NASCAR legend Richard Petty has also taken note of the matter.

Richard Petty calls a spade a spade

As per an excerpt from The Petty Race Recap on Instagram, Petty was seen answering a fan question regarding Austin Dillon’s recent actions where he wrecked two drivers and secured the top spot at the Richmond Raceway.

Sharing his opinions on the whole matter, the veteran said, “He is getting desperate, I guess. You know he should’ve won the race. Okay he had a good enough car he run up front all day. And he was going to be the winner. And then they had a caution, and it confused everything. If nothing else, he got desperate. He just drove that thing on in caught up in 3 or 4 car lengths going in a corner. It was definitely an intentional spin on both of them.”

Richard Petty is probably the most recognizable name in NASCAR. With more than 200 career wins and 7x NASCAR Cup Series championships, he is probably the most coveted racer of all time. Fans love him, and die-hard supporters take everything that ‘The King’ has to say at face value. This is why what the living legend said about the drama at Cook Out 400 is sure to have a separate fanbase. And he was clearly not impressed.

The NASCAR veteran’s comments on the situation seem very close to what others have been saying. While Denny Hamlin called for NASCAR to take a “tough call” against the #3, questions have been raised on NASCAR’s supposed incompetency on complicated matters. Petty’s co-host and former crew chief Dale Inman—the crew chief with the most wins (193) and championships (8; seven with Petty and one with Terry Labonte)—also indicated the same, saying, “NASCAR is a little bit inconsistent on their penalties too sometimes…” Case in point: Just a few weeks ago Bubba Wallace was fined a hefty $50,000 for intentionally contacting Alex Bowman during the Chicago Street Race. Corey Lajoie, however, escaped any such repercussions.

Fan opinions, on the other hand, treaded on ambiguous grounds with some supporting Petty, and others blaming a much bigger stakeholder. What’s clear is that the debate around Dillon’s win at Richmond Raceway is not going to settle down very soon.

Some fans bowed down to the king; others resisted

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Some die-hard Richard Petty supporters accepted his arguments and went as far as to appreciate Austin Dillon. “Takes talent to wreck two cars in a quarter of a lap,” says one fan.

Surprisingly, the wrecking allegations aren’t denied by Dillon. In a conversation with Kevin Harvick this week, the No.3 opined that it was all for his team who have “stuck with me, stuck behind us”. “You don’t want to [win like that] every week, but when given the opportunity, you gotta do it for those people that give you those chances to get there and get to victory lane,” the 34-year-old further stated.

He also gave a clarification on his spotter’s infamous “Wreck him!” comment on the radio. Since this is only substantiating the allegations against Dillon of foul play, he attempted to restate the issue once and for all: “I can’t fault him from being a fan at that moment.” 

Notably, many fans have been convinced of Dillon’s actions. An Instagram user interestingly wrote, “Considering the position that he was in, I think it’s just at least fair to say a few other drivers would have made the same move.”

One user blamed NASCAR instead, writing, “The points system has some of the blame, producing a win-at-all-cost condition, such as this spin-to-win outcome. And let’s not forget 2022’s wall ride to the playoffs 😄”. Well, in we are to look at things that way, Dillon’s win did qualify him for the playoffs.

However, there were others who vehemently criticized No. 3 for his wreckage. A fan pointed out, ”Doesn’t matter if he was the car of the day. One hundred percent has falled.” While another curious fan-turned-analyst wrote, “Stop blaming the players. NASCAR created this. Stop the green, white, checkers.” Richmond Raceway has clearly divided the world of NASCAR racing into two, each relentlessly attacking the other and trying to prove their own respective point in the process.

What are your thoughts on this whole wrecking fiasco? Do you think Richard Petty was right in pointing out Austin Dillon? Do let us know in the comments down below.