Livescore
Richard Childress Racing indicated Wednesday that it plans to appeal penalties against Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Chevrolet team after last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.
Dillon won Sunday’s Cook Out 400 by bumping fellow drivers Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin out of contention on the last lap of an overtime finish. NASCAR officials ruled that Dillon’s actions were significant enough to warrant a penalty; the win stood, but the eligibility for the Cup Series Playoffs that went with it was withdrawn.
RELATED: Dillon, No. 3 penalized post-Richmond | Playoff bubble shakes up
Dillon and the No. 3 RCR team were also docked 25 points in the drivers’ and owners’ standings. No. 3 team spotter Brandon Benesch was also suspended for the final three races of the regular season for his directive of “wreck him” on the team’s radio communications as Dillon battled Hamlin for the win.
“Richard Childress Racing is very disappointed in NASCAR‘s penalty against the No. 3 team,” the team said in a statement on X. “We do not agree with the decision that was made and plan to appeal.”
The appeal will be heard by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel at a date to be determined.
The penalties dropped Dillon back to 31st in the Cup Series standings and removed him from the 16-driver grid for the Cup Series Playoffs. The win marked Dillon’s first in 68 races, ending a Cup Series drought of nearly two years.
Four playoff spots remain up for grabs in the final three regular-season events, starting with this Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (2:30 p.m., USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at Michigan International Speedway.
Read the full article here
