Austin Dillon’s NASCAR Cup Series win at Richmond over the weekend drew a ton of criticism, from fans and drivers alike, after Dillon wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to eke out the victory and (temporarily) secure a spot in the playoffs. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. has now weighed in on the incident.

Dillon, who drives the No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing, sat in second, behind Logan, heading into the final two turns. Desperate for a victory and an automatic playoff spot, Dillon spun out Logano. But as a result, Dillon then found himself behind Hamlin, who shot to the lead on the inside during the contact between Dillon and Logano.

Still just as desperate, Dillon wasted no time and smashed into Hamlin’s right rear, sending the veteran driver hard into the wall as Dillon took the checkered flag. The win, as well as reported comments on Dillon’s radio of “wreck him, wreck him” before making contact with Hamlin, sparked fury in the NASCAR community, including from Logano himself.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. comments on Austin Dillon’s controversial NASCAR win

NASCAR driver Austin Dillon

As for Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose father was known to do similar things, he said this incident likely won’t negatively impact NASCAR.

“For me, it’s all about the integrity of the sport,” Earnhardt Jr. said on ‘DJD Reloaded.’ “Does this help the integrity of the sport, and going forward? Not so much do the drivers understand or has this affected the drivers in any way. It’s really public perception of our sport. Have we made a choice that helps people feel confident about our leadership and about tuning in and feeling like they’re going to see a legitimate show the next weekend? And I feel that this does go in that direction. None of this, as sucky as it is for RCR, as rough as it’s going to be for Austin and Richard to handle, I don’t think none of this is detrimental or hurting the sport. I think these are decisions that NASCAR was forced to be put in position to make and they made them.”

Related NewsArticle continues below
NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan prediction, odds, pick – 8/18/2024
NASCAR hands down penalty for Austin Dillon after controversial Richmond ending
Joey Logano destroys Austin Dillon over NASCAR finish
Austin Dillon’s savage move at Cook Out 400 has Joey Logano up in arms

Although NASCAR decided to uphold Austin Dillon’s victory at Richmond, it did revoke Dillon’s automatic playoff eligibility that was initially tied to the race win. Now, Dillon, who sits in 31st in the Cup Series standings will need to win one of the next three races to regain automatic playoff eligibility and successfully make it into the Top 16.