By Jerry Jordan, Editor
So, just like nearly every other NASCAR fan or media member, I saw what happened Sunday night and after watching the replay, I posted on X that I felt like the move by Austin Dillon on Joey Logano was egregious but not unexpected. As for what happened to Denny Hamlin, I was in the minority because I believe it was a “racing” incident and I don’t think Dillon should get a penalty for it.
Queue the angry fans crying out, “But his spotter said, ‘Wreck him, wreck him.’”
So what. Maybe the spotter catches a penalty for saying dumb stuff over the radio but if you actually listened to the spotter and synced it to the video, it likely didn’t do anything but annoy Dillon’s haters. By the time Dillon heard the words “Wreck him, wreck him” and processed what was being yelled over the radio, Hamlin’s car was about to be playing pattycake with the outside wall.
I wouldn’t expect the average fan to know this but there is a slight delay between broadcast and receive over the radio that needs to be factored in. It also takes time to think about what is being said, especially in an intense situation. There is also the fact that saying the words, “Wreck him, wreck him” takes about two seconds, according to script-timer.com.
Based on numbers provided by NASCAR estimating the cars were traveling at about 105 mph through the corner, it means the cars covered a distance of 154 feet per second or the equivalent of half a football field. So, in the two seconds when the spotter said, “Wreck him, wreck him” along with all the other unintelligible words being yelled, Dillon traveled at least 308 feet around the track wrecking Logano and calculating his precise move to wipe Hamlin out. I find it hard to believe that Dillon could comprehend what the spotter was saying, make the decision and then act upon it to hook Hamlin in a span of about 23 feet.
I also used an online mapping tool to mark a starting point and ending point along with three other points in between to make the arch through the corner. That distance was roughly 331 feet from Dillon’s impact with Logano and his impact with Hamlin, give or take, five feet.
Maybe, Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky can weigh in here but I think my science is pretty solid for a guy who doesn’t typically stay at a Holiday Inn Express. With all of the evidence in play, I don’t think Dillon intentionally hooked Hamlin into the wall.
In reviewing all the videos, Hamlin was coming up the track and Dillon was straightening out after wrecking Logano and trying to avoid the spinning No. 22 car coming off the wall. Hamlin and Dillon were going to make contact regardless just based on the trajectory of the two cars crossing the same mid-point on the track. Dillon even said in his post-race press conference that all he was focused on was the start-finish line.
When the contact was made, had Dillon not tried to hold his line, in other words, forcing the car to the left, Hamlin’s momentum would have taken both cars into the outside wall, which is what I immediately posted on social media Sunday night. It’s basic physics. If Hamlin is coming up the track, the force of the impact from where his right rear hit the left front of Dillon’s car would require roughly an equal amount of steering force to keep Dillon’s car from moving up the track. So, yes, Dillon steered left but I don’t think it was to “hook” Hamlin, I think it was like he said, to get to the start-finish line and also not wreck. This would also explain some of the SMT data that has been used to vilify Dillon.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said essentially the same thing Tuesday on the Dale Jr. Download.
Now, should Dillon be penalized for Logano? Maybe. But it is really hard to make that argument when Logano (pot) is a repeat offender when it comes to moving drivers out of the way while going for the win. He is one of the nicest guys in the sport when he isn’t driving a racecar but when Logano puts the helmet on, he turns into Mr. Hyde. Just look what happened on pit road after the race. Going down pit road and revving his engine at the No. 3 pit stall when Dillon’s wife and crew were celebrating may be the only penalty to come out of Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.
Then there’s Hamlin (kettle), who may be one of the most hated drivers in the sport despite also being a nice guy when he isn’t behind the wheel. His back and forth with Kyle Larson has garnered a lot of attention recently, but the feud he had with Ross Chastain was epic, resulting in a $50,000 fine and a 25-point penalty. Then there was that time he wrecked Chase Elliott – in a split second, Hamlin went from hero to supervillain.
Given their past indiscretions, it is hard to feel sorry for either Hamlin or Logano. Dillon needed a win and NASCAR’s rules don’t forbid rough driving. In fact, during the “Boys Have At It” period rough racing was encouraged. But that mentality went too far and the powers that be dialed it back a little.
It may not be a popular opinion but Dillon should not be penalized for punting Logano or spinning Hamlin. There is enough evidence to cast reasonable doubt on Hamlin’s situation and moving Logano was a move for the win on the final turn of the final lap of the race. It’s also a move that everyone in the racing world is still talking about over two days after the checkered flag waved. There’s no such thing as bad publicity.
Plus, waiting until Wednesday to reveal whether the sanctioning body will take any action gives NASCAR another day in the sports news cycle after it was off the grid for two weeks for the Olympic break.