Denny Hamlin, who sits fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship – 21 points behind leader Larson, remained adamant that Dillon’s actions were wrong and the penalties he received were justified.
He was hopeful that the whole situation further helped the sport define a competitive line of what is acceptable and what is not in the emotional, high-stakes final laps of a race. Dillon entered the Richmond race ranked 32nd in the standings without a single top-five this year.
“I don’t have anything negative to say about this with Austin (Dillon),’’ Hamlin said. “I really don’t have anything negative to say about his character. I really stuck up for him quite about earlier in this year, when he was going through some pretty tough finishes and things like that, and talking about how I really respected his character, and I still do.
“He just was put in a really tough spot, where you have to make a split-second decision, and he made one that was not in the, in my opinion, best interest of the sport. People make mistakes, and I believe everyone deserves second chances.”
However, he added, “You just can’t clean someone else out for the win.’’
Source: Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service
