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“it’s almost a $2 million swing” Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reacts to NASCAR’s Blow to Austin Dillon and RCR
Austin Dillon was happy as he ended a 68-race winless streak at Richmond Raceway and got a playoff spot for himself. But with that came criticism. Not only did he send Joey Logano into the wall in the final lap, but also spun Denny Hamlin on his way to the checkered flag. His controversial win resulted in a three-day review of the situation and NASCAR has now reached a verdict. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has some thoughts on this!
The sanctioning body has ruled that while Dillon will remain the official winner of the Cook Out 400, his race win won’t count toward eligibility for the Cup Series playoffs. Additionally, Dillon and his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team will also be docked 25 points in the drivers’ and owners’ standings, while team spotter Brandon Benesch has been suspended for three races.
Speaking on the Dale Jr. Download podcast right after NASCAR’s Austin Dillon verdict, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, “It’s a tough deal for RCR. I don’t think you can take a lot of happiness in the fact that you get to keep the win. This will be a difficult thing for the team because, as Denny Hamlin noted in his podcast, it’s almost a $2 million swing from where Austin is in the points currently to where he might have eventually finished, had he had the chance to race it out in the playoffs. A lot of money on the line here or a lot of money that the RCR team would have benefited from had they made the playoffs…”
NASCAR’s verdict hasn’t gone down too well with Richard Childress Racing, who will be appealing the decision. In addition to having his playoff spot taken away, the 25-point docking has relegated Dillon from 26th to 31st place in the driver standings.
Not just this. The spotter Brandon Benesch, who was heard saying “Go wreck him” during the final lap, will be replaced as well. While all is not lost yet, as the 34-year-old could still qualify for playoffs if he wins one of the three Cup Series races remaining in the regular season, the situation does look bleak for the No. 3 Chevrolet driver. But how did NASCAR decide to take away Dillon’s playoff spot? Well, because of the following rule.
Section 12.3.2.1.b: “Race finishes must be unencumbered by violation(s) of the NASCAR Rules or other action(s) detrimental to stock car auto racing or NASCAR as determined in the sole discretion of NASCAR.”
Dillon’s win was quite controversial. With a comfortable 3-second lead and just two laps to go, Austin Dillon was in unfamiliar territory at Richmond Raceway. However, circumstances changed when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. collided with Ryan Preece, bringing about a caution. As a result, Dillon didn’t have the best restart, which allowed Joey Logano to take the lead heading into Turns 3 and 4.
However, the Richard Childress Racing driver refused to give up without a fight, and in an attempt to regain track position, he rear-ended Logano’s No. 22 Ford, sending him into the wall. During the altercation, Denny Hamlin almost stole the lead, but it wasn’t long before Dillon sent him spinning while making his way to the checkered flag. Even Elton Sawyer spoke about what took place.
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Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, is in the running for a potential return to F1. The young racer has emerged as a late contender for a seat at Kick Sauber, which will become Audi in 2026. Led by Mattia Binotto, the team announced Mick as a candidate for their drivers’ lineup in 2025.
Speaking in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Binotto dived into details about the young driver. “We are definitely evaluating him [Mick Schumacher],” he said.
The statement is being seen as the 25-year-old’s last chance to return to the sport.
Mick has previous association with Mattia Binotto through the Ferrari Driver Academy.
Speaking about their connection, Binotto added, “I met him and spoke to him. I have known him for a long time, having been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. I know his strengths and advantages. He is one of the names we have in mind.”
Mick, who drove for Haas during his last stint in Formula 1, was a reserve for Mercedes in the last two seasons. The driver was also in contention for a seat at Alpine after Esteban Ocon left the team for Haas. He even raced for the French manufacturer in the World Endurance Championship. However, the squad decided to go with rookie driver Jack Doohan, instead.
Audi Chief Binotto now has the young racer on the radar as he hopes to bring him back to the sport.
He discussed how the team was in no rush to make a hasty decision, especially now that most teams have already decided their line-ups. “There are two essential options: on the one hand, experience to set us on the growth path. On the other is a young, talented driver who can accompany us on the path to the top,” Binotto said.
With Sauber preparing for a full acquisition by Audi in 2026, the German carmaker looks focused on assembling a competitive team. Should Mick join Sauber, he would team up with Nico Hulkenberg, who leaves Haas at the end of the 2024 season. The 37-year-old German racer is taking one of the two seats next year.
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Carlos Sainz teased one day revealing his true thoughts on Mattia Binotto claiming he would not have signed Lewis Hamilton if still Ferrari boss.
Ahead of the F1 2024 campaign, Hamilton activated an exit clause in his Mercedes contract to engineer a blockbuster F1 2025 move to Ferrari, signing a multi-year deal. That came at the expense of Sainz, who has since agreed terms with Williams.
Carlos Sainz reacts after Binotto’s Lewis Hamilton Ferrari bombshell
At Ferrari, Hamilton reunites with his former junior series boss Fred Vasseur, who took over the reins at Maranello in 2023, after the exit of former team principal Mattia Binotto.
And Binotto has confirmed that if he were still calling the shots, Hamilton would not have got his Ferrari dream move.
Asked by Corriere della Sera if he would have signed Hamilton to Ferrari, Binotto replied: “No. But he did very well to go to Ferrari, I agree with his decision.”
Explaining his reasoning, Binotto said that Hamilton’s future Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc – a part of their line-up since 2019 and a Ferrari Driver Academy graduate – should be their centrepiece for an F1 title challenge.
“Because Ferrari had set their sights on other drivers. And if the talent is Leclerc, he is the one who somehow I think should be taken to the target,” claimed Binotto.
And Sainz, speaking at the 2024 Marca Sports Weekend, was asked for his reaction to that.
“Binotto says he wouldn’t have signed Lewis?” Sainz replied.
Gathering up his thoughts, Sainz teased that he would one day share them, but this was not the time.
“I don’t get involved in that,” he said, “I’ll keep my opinion to myself and I’ll tell you my opinion over dinner one day.”
As for the Hamilton and Leclerc partnership, Sainz believes it will be a successful one for Ferrari.
“He and Leclerc are two great drivers, I’m sure they’ll have a good time,” he said.
Sainz will be joining a Williams team striving to work its way up the F1 pecking order, with F1 2026 – the year that new chassis and power unit regulations arrive – very much the goal in mind rather than next season.
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Amidst the chaos in the Cup Series playoffs, one driver has been consistently getting the results while flying under the radar. Christopher Bell has been somewhat of a dark horse in the ongoing campaign, even though he’s currently second in the championship, having secured three wins in the season so far. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has shown great consistency over the last few weeks, finishing no lower than seventh in the last four races.
Despite the attention going towards the traditional favorites such as Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, a prominent NASCAR Insider isn’t ruling out Christopher Bell as a genuine title contender if he does make it to Phoenix Raceway later this year.
He might not be in the headlines, but Christopher Bell has every reason to be optimistic about his championship hopes going into the last four races of the season. The 29-year-old has shown tremendous consistency over the last few months, having finished inside the top ten in 9 out of the last 11 races. As a result, the No. 20 Toyota Camry driver finds himself just behind Kyle Larson in the standings going into the Round of Eight. Even though Victory Lane has eluded the Oklahoma native, Bell is playing the long game, hoping to remain in contention, going into the Championship 4 race.
Highlighting his expectations from Christopher Bell, NBC Sports play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey said on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, “I don’t think enough people give enough credit to Christopher Bell. To me, he’s that quiet achiever and I love the fact that how honest he was at Kansas where he made the mistake at the end of Stage 1 and Stage 2 when he hit the wall, said that’s totally on me. I just think he’s the only guy who’s made the Championship 4 the last two years in succession, and I just think the time is now for him.
