Austin Dillon. That’s the name on everyone’s minds after he crashed two drivers on the final lap to win Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway. Though he won, the race will be remembered as the most controversial finish people witnessed in the past few years. Regardless, he managed to seal a playoff spot for himself and this is something Kyle Busch is happy about.

Following the race, Austin Dillon talked to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Dirty Mo Media and revealed what Busch, his teammate and good friend, told him.

Austin shared, “He leaned down in the window, and I said ‘man I got wild’ and he said it didn’t matter, ‘you won it either way‘. He said ‘you were the best car, and you dominated’, which means a lot to me.” Through these motivational words, Kyle Busch managed to lift Austin Dillon’s spirit. It would’ve also added to the emotional support he so desperately needs to face the scathing attacks after the race.

Further, the driver shared on Dirty Mo Media how the team was doing everything to help Busch. “We got to do everything we can to help Kyle get to victory lane to get playoff spot as well. And Kyle is one of those that you just got to respect because of his commitment to winning at all costs, just like all the great race car drivers. He’s had a frustrating season for his standards as well and we all feel that at RCR and we’ve got to get him to where he’s capable of and that’s running in the top 5 and winning races each and every week and hopefully, we can start that momentum now,” Dillon said.

Well, it is certainly great seeing the teammates support each other. When it comes to Dillon, he has been receiving a lot of heat for risky driving. At Richmond Raceway, Joey Logano was about to enter the last turn of the race, but Dillon didn’t slow down in the corner and crashed into Logano. This sent Logano spinning. Next, as Denny Hamlin moved underneath Dillon, the latter hit Hamlin in the right rear. This sent him into the wall.

No doubt, Hamlin, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, and several fanbases have already criticized him. In fact, Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing was quite annoyed. The owner of 23XI Racing demanded better officiating standards from NASCAR after the incident. This also reminds us how Layne Riggs was given a two-lap penalty for reckless driving in the Truck Series in June at Nashville. This penalty came after he made contact with Stefan Parsons.

Hamlin even went as far as calling Dillon’s move a deliberate attempt to spin cars and win the race. He also alleged that the RCR driver received the instructions to do so from his team on the radio. This was, however, vehemently denied by Dillon. Deliberately or not, the bottom line is that with Austin securing a playoff spot, there are only three tickets left before the end of the regular season.

Should Austin Dillon have received a penalty for risky driving?

Well, if you ask Hamlin and Logano, they will say YES! Logano, who finished 19th, was mad. “There’s no doubt about it. He is four car lengths back, not even close. Then he wrecks (Hamlin) to go along with it. Then he’s going to go up there and thank God and praise everything with his baby. It’s a bunch of BS. It’s not even freakin’ close,” he stated after the race.

Several drivers were of the opinion that a penalty was needed. But NASCAR rarely uses rough driving penalties. That’s the reason officials allowed Dillon’s victory to stand. However, NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer also stated that the officials would review the situation and come to a decision later in the week.

The rule NASCAR follows in such incidents is to not take away the victory.

Sunday’s Cup Series race at Richmond (Top 5 finishes):

Well, it is what it is. With this win, Dillon ended a 68-race winless streak. Now, there are only three tickets left before the end of the regular season. Many people are waiting to see whether Busch can manage to go to the playoffs. The 2015 and 2019 Cup Series winner will hope to beat all the odds against him as he faces an uphill battle against Bubba Wallace and rookie Ty Gibbs.

Austin Cindric is also attempting his level best to match the three drivers above him. With so many drivers in contention, the playoffs appear to be anyone’s game for now.

This season has been bleak for the 39-year-old. 2024 is marked by a streak of average performances and injuries for Busch. But Kyle Busch’s abilities are, without a doubt, a class apart on any given day.

Therefore, the RCR ace racer cannot be ignored as a contender for the play-off spot. After the regular season, it’s anyone’s game as far as winning the cup is concerned. Do you think Busch has what it takes to make it to the playoffs this year? Do let us know in the comments.