Richard Childress, a veteran NASCAR team of 55 years, expressed deep disappointment over NASCAR’s ruling that revoked Austin Dillon’s playoff spot. Childress believes the decision, along with its subsequent appeals, will significantly impact NASCAR racing. He also considers it the biggest fine in NASCAR history due to the lost revenue from missing the playoffs.
Their ruling has changed NASCAR racing on the final lap forever, Childress stated on Saturday before Cup practice at Darlington Raceway.
He added, “It’s over a million dollars to us. The largest fine ever in NASCAR. I’m just disappointed, disappointed, disappointed. That’s all I can say.”
Richard Childress Racing appealed NASCAR’s decision stemming from Dillon’s August 11 victory at Richmond. Dillon made contact with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final turns to secure the win.
Typically, a victory grants a driver an automatic spot in the 16-driver playoff field, provided there aren’t more than 16 winners during the season. However, NASCAR revoked Dillon’s spot, citing a rule that a win must be unencumbered by violations or actions detrimental to the sport.
A three-member NASCAR-appointed appeals board denied RCR’s initial appeal on August 20, and NASCAR’s final appeal officer upheld the decision on August 25. The NASCAR rulebook grants the organization “sole discretion” to determine actions detrimental to the sport and rule violations. NASCAR also has a general rule that allows penalties for driver contact.
“If we hadn’t penalized it, what we would see over the next 12 weeks would look significantly different,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said on the FOX Sports’ “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast. “We just can’t have it. It really comes down to ‘what do you want your sport to be?’ That’s why we ruled the way we did because we’re not a demolition derby. We are a sport, and doing nothing would have opened us up for a mess, honestly.”
Logano and Hamlin both criticized Dillon’s moves, calling them intentional wrecks. Other drivers also voiced that they wouldn’t have made such moves. However, Childress argued that neither incident was egregious.
“The drivers now think they know where the line is, but they don’t,” Childress said. “If you go in a car length – two-and-three-quarters was exactly how far back he was from Logano, and the other car slows down 3 miles an hour on the last lap, you’re going to bump him a little to move him up the race track.
Is that over now? What is the line? And if you’re racing somebody off the corner and they get loose, as Hamlin did, and get into you, does that mean you’re out of the Chase? That’s all I have to say about the ruling. But it has changed racing for a win for sure.”
The NASCAR appeals panel consists of three members from a pool of about 20 industry personnel, including former drivers and crew chiefs, not employed by NASCAR.
“An appointed appeal group — it’s tough to beat an appointment in anything,” Childress remarked.
Childress emphasized that he would choose his words carefully, as he wants to avoid further negative rulings from NASCAR. He confirmed that the team would not pursue legal action, even though they believe they had a strong legal case.
Pursuing legal action could have brought additional scrutiny from NASCAR, as the sport generally prohibits teams from suing the sanctioning body, though they could potentially challenge that provision.
“If it was a legal case, we had attorneys review both sides, and there was no way we would have lost,” Childress concluded.
