NASCAR docked Austin Dillon 25 points in the drivers' standings on Wednesday in response to him taking out two cars in the final lap of last weekend's race.
The disciplinary action strips Dillon of playoff eligibility in the Cup Series.
Dillon, however, gets to keep the win at Richmond.
He drops from No 26 to No 31 in the drivers' rankings after NASCAR tossed the 25 points for wrecking Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap of the Cook Out 400.
"As we look through all of the data, we came to the conclusion that a line had been crossed. Our sport has been based going for many years, forever, on good, hard racing. Contact has been acceptable. We felt in this case the line was crossed," Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said on Wednesday.
NASCAR also fined Logano $50,000 (about R902,820) for his post-race antics, suspended Dillon's spotter three races and docked Dillon's team 25 points in the owners' standings.
Dillon first clipped Logano's No 22 coming off the final restart, sending him spinning. Then Dillon caught up to Hamlin and spun him into the wall to take the checkered flag.
His spotter Brandon Benesch was suspended for telling Dillon to "wreck him," speaking of Hamlin.
"We know exactly what was said. We felt that's not what we need spotters doing," Sawyer said.
"That's not what we need (from a) crew chief sitting on the box."
Logano, angry for being spun out, was fined for spinning his tyres near the box of Dillon's team, Richard Childress Racing, a violation of the member code of conduct for compromising the safety of others.
However the stiffest penalty was saved for Dillon, who said after Sunday's race: "Wins get you into the next round. I did what I had to do to cross the start/finish line first."
NASCAR strips Austin Dillon of playoff eligibility over Richmond wrecks
Image: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
NASCAR docked Austin Dillon 25 points in the drivers' standings on Wednesday in response to him taking out two cars in the final lap of last weekend's race.
The disciplinary action strips Dillon of playoff eligibility in the Cup Series.
Dillon, however, gets to keep the win at Richmond.
He drops from No 26 to No 31 in the drivers' rankings after NASCAR tossed the 25 points for wrecking Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap of the Cook Out 400.
"As we look through all of the data, we came to the conclusion that a line had been crossed. Our sport has been based going for many years, forever, on good, hard racing. Contact has been acceptable. We felt in this case the line was crossed," Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said on Wednesday.
NASCAR also fined Logano $50,000 (about R902,820) for his post-race antics, suspended Dillon's spotter three races and docked Dillon's team 25 points in the owners' standings.
Dillon first clipped Logano's No 22 coming off the final restart, sending him spinning. Then Dillon caught up to Hamlin and spun him into the wall to take the checkered flag.
His spotter Brandon Benesch was suspended for telling Dillon to "wreck him," speaking of Hamlin.
"We know exactly what was said. We felt that's not what we need spotters doing," Sawyer said.
"That's not what we need (from a) crew chief sitting on the box."
Logano, angry for being spun out, was fined for spinning his tyres near the box of Dillon's team, Richard Childress Racing, a violation of the member code of conduct for compromising the safety of others.
However the stiffest penalty was saved for Dillon, who said after Sunday's race: "Wins get you into the next round. I did what I had to do to cross the start/finish line first."
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