RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 10: Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, drives during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 10, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 10: Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, drives during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 10, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Impact of Austin Dillon’s penalty could be millions of dollars

As Richard Childress Racing plans its appeal of NASCAR’s penalty to Austin Dillon, the race team will be fighting for millions of dollars.

NASCAR allowed Dillon to keep his win in last weekend’s race at Richmond but took away the playoff eligibility that went with it, ruling that Dillon intentionally wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the last lap to attain that victory.

NASCAR’s penalty is significant. Dillon entered Richmond 32nd in owner points and outside a playoff spot. He secured a playoff position with the win, meaning his car would finish no worse than 16th in owner points this season — had he not been penalized.

Asked on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast this week about the financial difference in those points positions, Hamlin said: “Probably about 2 million bucks and what the charter will get paid. … That’s the key.”

JTG Daugherty co-owner Brad Daugherty said that number is higher.

“I think it’s little bit more, maybe $2.5 million, so that’s huge,” said Daugherty, who also serves as an analyst for NBC Sports on NASCAR races.

Daugherty calls NASCAR’s actions a “very, very, very hard penalty. … This is going to hit RCR pretty substantially in their pocketbook because we’re always trying to figure out a way to create a positive balance of our checkbooks. This could be multiple millions of dollars in losses based upon this penalty.”

See much more at NBC Sports.