NASCAR: Christopher Bell Has His Say On Austin Dillon Penalty

Following the controversial end to the Cook Out 400 at Richmond race track, NASCAR’s decision to penalize Austin Dillon has garnered support from fellow driver Christopher Bell. The incident heavily affected how the race ended, particularly affecting Denny Hamlin, Bell’s teammate, and Joey Logano.

The penalties imposed on Dillon, stripping him of his playoff eligibility post his Richmond win, have sparked conversations about the integrity of the sport.

Speaking with Frontstretch in Michigan, Bell voiced his approval of the NASCAR ruling.

“I’m happy. I’m happy that he isn’t in the playoffs because I do think that that… If they wouldn’t have said anything then it would have opened the can of worms, saying hey, anything goes.

“I’m happy that they did tell us that that isn’t going to be accepted,” Bell stated.

Denny Hamlin, directly affected by Dillon’s aggressive driving during the race, also supported the penalties and shared detailed insights into what happened through Jerry Jordan, via 5 Goats.

“No, because Austin made a left-hand turn to avoid — after he made contact with the No. 22, made a left turn to correct his course, straightened his course, and turned left again.

“So, there were two — you know, if you can read the graph, there was a big left, straight, big left again. Trust me, I do this for a living.”

The unanimity in viewpoints between Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin elucidates a broader consensus among drivers, although not everyone agrees. Veteran NASCAR personality Kyle Petty had his say:

“Don’t whine Joey Logano, we’ve seen you do it before. Denny Hamlin, he can’t say much either. They’ve done the same thing.”

He continued:

“If you’re a new fan, you love that finish. And when I say new fan, last 25 years. If you’re an old fan, you’re embarrassed of that finish, because that’s not what NASCAR was built on, that’s not what NASCAR was.

“I don’t care you millennials and all you people out there, this is not the platform that my dad or Dale Earnhardt Sr. and those guys raced on. They didn’t just wreck, they raced. This is all about wrecking in these last few laps.”

NASCAR Cup Series Current Standings

1. Kyle Larson – 779 points
2. Denny Hamlin – 758 points
3. Christopher Bell – 701 points
4. William Byron – 678 points
5. Ryan Blaney – 702 points
6. Tyler Reddick – 774 points
7. Chase Elliott – 773 points
8. Brad Keselowski – 636 points
9. Alex Bowman – 615 points
10. Joey Logano – 557 points
11. Daniel Suarez – 497 points
12. Austin Cindric – 451 points
13. Martin Truex Jr. – 662 points
14. Ty Gibbs – 602 points
15. Bubba Wallace – 587 points
16. Chris Buescher – 584 points
    (PLAYOFFS CUT-OFF)
17. Ross Chastain – 584 points
18. Chase Briscoe – 485 points
19. Kyle Busch – 465 points
20. Todd Gilliland – 454 points
21. Michael McDowell – 431 points
22. Carson Hocevar – 414 points
23. Josh Berry – 412 points
24. Noah Gragson – 400 points
25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 376 points
26. Ryan Preece – 341 points
27. Erik Jones – 337 points
28. Justin Haley – 329 points
29. Corey LaJoie – 327 points
30. Daniel Hemric – 323 points
31. Austin Dillon – 319 points
32. John Hunter Nemechek – 313 points
33. Zane Smith – 262 points
34. Harrison Burton – 243 points
35. Kaz Grala – 166 points
36. Cody Ware – 47 points
37. Joey Hand – 43 points
38. Jimmie Johnson – 39 points
39. Derek Kraus – 32 points
40. David Ragan – 17 points
41. Kamui Kobayashi – 8 points
42. Will Brown – 6 points
43. Cam Waters – 2 points