Elton Sawyer explains unprecedented NASCAR penalty for Austin Dillon after Richmond

NASCAR handed down penalties for Austin Dillon and his crew on Wednesday. Stiff ones, at that.

Dillon cannot use his controversial win at Richmond to secure playoff eligibility because he violated a clause in the rulebook that states drivers cannot drive in a way that is detrimental to the sport.

NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said Dillon clearly crossed a line when he wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin just prior to taking the checkered flag in the Cook Out 400.

“Oh absolutely, absolutely. This is not something that NASCAR really wants to get in the middle of,” Sawyer said in a video released by NASCAR. “For years we’ve allowed our drivers, and we will continue to allow them to race. Every one of the drivers in those national series garages, Cup level, Xfinity level and Truck level, they understand where the line is.

“They may ask from time to time where is the line. I guarantee you when you walk through there and you ask them they will know where it is. We just felt like in this case we needed to let them know that we know where the line is as well. This is not something that we’re going to tolerate.”

On top of being barred from using the win as his berth to the playoffs, Austin Dillon was docked 25 driver and owner points. His spotter, Brandon Benesch, was suspended for three races for urging Dillon to wreck other drivers.

But it was a long wait until the penalties were announced, a nervous few days for both Dillon and Logano, who was fined $50,000 for revving his engine near a bunch of people on pit road.

NASCAR wanted to be sure it had the Austin Dillon decision right.

“The magnitude of this decision needed us to get back, get all the information, be able to work with all of our stakeholders, work with our folks in the industry who have a great deal of experience, gather all of that information and then sit down and make a NASCAR decision, and that’s what we did,” Sawyer said. “Starting Sunday night gathering the information, meeting on Monday as well as yesterday and finally last night coming to a conclusion of where we landed on the penalties.”

The SMT data of the wrecks, in particular, helped NASCAR come to a decision on Austin Dillon’s punishment.

“In our view that crossed a line, without a doubt,” Sawyer said. “Again, our sport has been based on strong emotions. It’s been based off win and you’re in. But anything that we feel like from a sanctioning body that has crossed the line from a standpoint that compromises the integrity of our playoff format, as well as our championship, we are going to get involved.”