NASCAR returned from its summer break with a bang as Austin Dillon charged to an upset victory at Richmond.
Dillon’s dive into the last set of corners that send Joey Logano spinning and subsequent contact with Denny Hamlin coming to the finish line sent his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to victory lane for the first time since August 2022. However, NASCAR took exception to Dillon’s last lap maneuvers and in a round of penalties announced Wednesday rescinded his team’s playoff eligibility from the Richmond win.
Richard Childress Racing has indicated it will appeal NASCAR’s decision. In the meantime, Dillon is on the outside looking in and four spots remain up for grabs for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs as the series heads to Michigan this weekend.
Here’s an updated look at the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture:
Locked In:
1. William Byron
2. Daniel Suárez
3. Kyle Larson
4. Christopher Bell
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Chase Elliott
7. Tyler Reddick
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Austin Cindric
10. Ryan Blaney
11. Joey Logano
12. Alex Bowman
Almost a Lock:
Martin Truex Jr. (+78 to the cut line) – A motor issue relegated the 2017 series champion to a last-place finish at Richmond. This took a big chunk out of Truex’s point cushion, however he still enjoys a full race advantage over his closest challenger. That said, another poor showing would put Truex’s playoff hopes in doubt.
On the bubble:
Ty Gibbs (+18 to the cut line) – Among the bubble drivers Gibbs had the most disappointing result at Richmond, finishing one lap down in 22nd. He’s still on the right side of the cut line, however he lost more than half of his advantage at the Virginia short track.
Bubba Wallace (+3 to the cut line) – Wallace picked a good time to match his best finish this season and earn his fifth top-5 of 2024 with a 4th place effort Sunday night. The strong showing vaults Wallace from the outside looking in to the right side of the playoff cut line.
Ross Chastain (+0 to the cut line) – Chastain crossed the stripe right behind Wallace in 5th place, however Wallace’s additional stage points allowed him to leapfrog Chastain in the standings. With Dillon’s penalty, Chastain is currently the last driver in the playoffs via a tiebreaker. Needless to say, there’s no room for error for the No. 1 team in the next three races.
Chris Buescher (-0 to the cut line) – A winner in last year’s summer race at Richmond, Buescher could only manage a disappointing 18th place effort this year. Now sitting on the wrong side of the cut line, the No. 17 team hopes they’ll be able to better replicate last year’s success at Michigan where they are the defending race winners.
Winning solves (almost) everything:
There’s 17 more drivers (including Dillon, pending appeal) who can earn a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs by winning a race, so long as their victory is not encumbered by NASCAR officials. Those drivers are:
- Chase Briscoe
- Kyle Busch
- Todd Gilliland
- Michael McDowell
- Carson Hocevar
- Josh Berry
- Noah Gragson
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Ryan Preece
- Erik Jones
- Justin Haley
- Corey Lajoie
- Daniel Hemric
- Austin Dillon
- Jon Hunter Nemechek
- Zane Smith
- Harrison Burton
Three regular season races remain to determine who will race for a championship starting at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 8 in the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart.
Tickets and camping accommodations for the Sept. 6-8 Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart NASCAR weekend are available at www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.
About the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart:
The Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart kicks off the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. 16 drivers begin their quest to hoist the Bill France Cup on Atlanta Motor Speedway’s high banks on Sunday, Sept. 8.
Accompanying the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart is the Focused Health 250 on Saturday, Sept. 7. With just three races remaining in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season, the rising stars of NASCAR will have added pressure to secure their place in the postseason with a trip to victory lane.
More information on the Sept. 6-8 Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart weekend and ticket availability can be found online at AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.
AMS PR
