BROOKLYN, MI.: Austin Dillon had a car capable of winning Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, but a puzzling accident at the end of Stage 2 eliminated the Richard Childress Racing driver from the race.
Dillon was battling Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski for sixth at the end of Stage 2 when the two battled side-by-side coming to the start-finish line when instantly Dillon’s race changed.
Trying to emerge from the bottom of the apron on the frontstretch after the green-white checkered flag, Keselowski made contact with the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing in the right rear sending Dillon nearly head-first into the outside frontstretch wall.
The aggressive stage racing from Dillon comes with his attempt to earn a spot in the post-season NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. After finishing third in Stage 1, Dillon was attempting to shred his deficit to teammate Tyler Reddick in the final spot in the top-16.
Dillon started 26th in his No. 3 BREZTRI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE but immediately showcased the speed at one of his better race tracks evening leading two of the event’s 200 laps.
Before the crash, the performance was easily the best effort from Dillon and the Justin Alexander led team this season.
After the wreck, Keselowski immediately responded on the radio and apologized.
“Oh man, I didn’t want to do that,” he said. “Oh! I didn’t want to wreck him! Just hold him down. Man, I’m sorry about that.”
Dillon was quickly evaluated and released from the infield care center, where he talked about the incident.
“I was just trying to get as many Stage points as I could get right there and did a good job of side-drafting and came down to the apron and I’ve seen just one quick replay, but it was after the Start | Finish Line,” he explained. “I was starting to come up off the apron because it’s so rough down there.
“But I figured by that point, he would have given me a little room. I hate it. I’m thankful that the good Lord kept me safe today. That was a heck of a wreck, but I feel fine. I hate it for BREZTRI and my guys, most of all.”
The three-time NASCAR Cup Series winner expressed he had a “rocket ship” in his 18th Cup start in the Irish Hills, but has nothing to show for it.
“They built a rocket ship,” Dillon added. “They really wanted this one, and I did too. Just working our tails off right there. I think we would have had a shot to do something there at the end with our race car. It’s the best race car we’ve brought to the track at RCR this year, I feel like. It’s just a bummer but we’ve got Daytona left and I just hate it.
“I don’t know why it happened, really. I thought I had a little room to come up and he just held me down there a little bit too long, I guess.”
With 15 NASCAR Cup Series drivers now locked in the Playoffs, Dillon will have his final chance to make a sixth Playoff appearance if he wins the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Sat., Aug. 28.
Reddick had a flat tire in the closing laps of Sunday’s race at Michigan resulting in a 29th-place finish and a 25-point buffer over Dillon heading to Daytona.
Dillon, 31, is a former winner at the World Center of Racing capturing the 2018 Daytona 500 with a last lap controversial move on Aric Almirola.
The 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion said he is ready and determined to win the fight at Daytona.
“Very (determined),” sounded Dillon. “The guys have worked so hard. You saw the equipment I had today and man it was so fast. I was having a blast out there racing like that.
“It’s fun to be able to do that. I’ve just got to thank ECR and RCR. But that one is probably done, and we’ll just bring another one next week to Daytona.”
Watching this makes me sick to my stomach for Austin and his team. He was crazy fast today and deserved better. Definitely not what either of us wanted to see…
With a lap to go we both wanted the stage point and I should have given him more room to avoid this.
Glad he is ok. https://t.co/WPYxdmarWo
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) August 22, 2021
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
