Austin Dillon was determined to do whatever it took to secure his first NASCAR Cup Series win since the 2022 season in Sunday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway and when the caution came out with two laps to go to put his sure-fire win into question, Dillon was forced to act on his willingness to do whatever it took.
Joey Logano worked around Dillon on an Overtime finish, and on the final lap, Dillon laid the bumper to Logano in Turn 4, and sent Denny Hamlin into the outside wall as well, to take the race win.
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Following the race, Dillon’s race-winning No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 took the customary trip to the post-race inspection bay, where the car received a passing grade. As a result, NASCAR declared Dillon and his team the official winners of the race.
With the win, Dillon has locked his place in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field, despite entering the race 32nd in the championship standings. There are now three races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.
Kyle Larson, who missed the Coca-Cola 600, remains the regular-season point leader after finishing seventh on Sunday night, but his point lead shrunk to five points over Tyler Reddick, who finished third. Chase Elliott is just one point behind Reddick in third in the standings.
No issues were detected in post-race inspection, which means all results and standings following Sunday’s race are now considered official.
Denny Hamlin, despite being crashed on the final lap, was credited with a runner-up finish ahead of Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Ross Chastain.
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Video: Austin Dillon Spins Logano, Crashes Hamlin to Win at Richmond
