Austin Dillon’s win at the Cook Out 400 in Richmond has been overshadowed by controversy and penalties, as NASCAR deemed his conduct during the race as detrimental to the sport, revoking his playoff eligibility that was contingent on this victory.
In a revealing interview on ESPN’s Marty & McGee show (below), Dillon detailed his intentions to challenge NASCAR’s harsh decision through an appeal.
“With that appeal obviously we deserve to be in the playoffs,” Dillon asserted. “We want to reverse that decision that NASCAR has made to take our playoff eligibility away. We feel like we have a case to stand on and should.”
Despite the looming penalty, Dillon maintained a confident and hopeful frame of mind.
“I think the biggest thing is to be able to state our case,” he commented. “A lot of people in the industry have given their opinion and we have been celebrating our win, enjoying the fact that the 3 car was the fastest car at Richmond this past weekend. Had a three-second lead with two laps to go.”
However, frustrations bubbled as Dillon spoke about the limitations on sharing his full perspective until the official appeal.
“I’ve got to be careful with what I give out right now for the appeal process, because it’s going to be like a trial,” he explained during a broadcast on Saturday afternoon. “It really is. Wish everybody could see it, television. Would be cool to be in there. Because I haven’t really given my entire story of the game yet.”
His standings in the overall points—at a precarious 31st position—prove just how significant a successful appeal would be. Without it, Dillon’s only path back to playoff contention would necessitate another race victory, presenting a daunting challenge under pressing circumstances.
If his appeal fails, it could significantly reshape his racing season and playoff prospects.
NASCAR Cup Series Current Standings
- Kyle Larson – 779 points
- Denny Hamlin – 758 points
- Christopher Bell – 701 points
- William Byron – 678 points
- Ryan Blaney – 702 points
- Tyler Reddick – 774 points
- Chase Elliott – 773 points
- Brad Keselowski – 636 points
- Alex Bowman – 615 points
- Joey Logano – 557 points
- Daniel Suarez – 497 points
- Austin Cindric – 451 points
- Martin Truex Jr. – 662 points
- Ty Gibbs – 602 points
- Bubba Wallace – 587 points
- Chris Buescher – 584 points
(PLAYOFFS CUT-OFF) - Ross Chastain – 584 points
- Chase Briscoe – 485 points
- Kyle Busch – 465 points
- Todd Gilliland – 454 points
- Michael McDowell – 431 points
- Carson Hocevar – 414 points
- Josh Berry – 412 points
- Noah Gragson – 400 points
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 376 points
- Ryan Preece – 341 points
- Erik Jones – 337 points
- Justin Haley – 329 points
- Corey LaJoie – 327 points
- Daniel Hemric – 323 points
- Austin Dillon – 319 points
- John Hunter Nemechek – 313 points
- Zane Smith – 262 points
- Harrison Burton – 243 points
- Kaz Grala – 166 points
- Cody Ware – 47 points
- Joey Hand – 43 points
- Jimmie Johnson – 39 points
- Derek Kraus – 32 points
- David Ragan – 17 points
- Kamui Kobayashi – 8 points
- Will Brown – 6 points
- Cam Waters – 2 points
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