“He was a fanboy”: Austin Dillon addresses his spotter’s radio message amid controversial Richmond win

Austin Dillon has clarified his spotter Brandon Benesch's "wreck him" call during the final lap at Richmond Raceway. Shortly, after the #3 Chevy driver claimed his maiden 2024 Cup Series win, radio communication between the two came under the scanner.

Dillon was leading the overtime restart, but couldn't hold on to his lead as Joey Logano steered through and took the lead. However, the Richard Childress Racing driver was right behind the Team Penske driver and chased him for the win. As the duo went around the final corner, the #3 driver hit the #22 Ford's right rear, sending it spinning, and then sidelined Denny Hamlin too moments later.

But moments before Dillon's move sent Logano crashing, the former's spotter yelled "Wreck him!" on the radio, which has gained attention from fans, amid his driver's controversial win.

Dillon, sometime after the race, offered his take on Benesch's call. While conversing about his race-winning weekend with Kevin Harvick, the driver said that the spotter was acting like a "fanboy" and didn't intend to send a message directing the former to go and wreck the two-time Cup Series champion:

"The spotter going on you know, I think he was a fanboy last night in that race. It would be like having a #3 fan commentating, trying to drive the car up there," the RCR driver said via Harvick Happy Hour on X (0:45).

While Dillon has addressed Benesch's call and its meaning, team owner Richard Childress, when asked during a post-race presser, denied hearing any such call. When pressed, however, he praised the spotter for getting the team the win, if the call had been made.

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Denny Hamlin's crew chief raises "integrity of the sport" concerns amid Austin Dillon's controversial win

Austin Dillon had a lackluster start to the season and had three top-10s before snapping his two-year winless streak at the 0.75-mile oval.

The RCR driver started his 408-lap run in the Cook Out 400 from sixth place and placed his Chevrolet in seventh and fifth in the first and second stages, respectively.

On the other hand, Denny Hamlin has had a strong season, with three wins, ten top-10s, and nine top-5s. At Richmond, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver became the leader, after Logano was sidelined, and a fourth win looked there for the taking. However, the lead lasted mere seconds as Dillon turned into Hamlin's #11 Toyota and cleared the path ahead for his ticket to playoffs.

Hamlin was disappointed with Dillon's move and NASCAR's "no real officiating," and so was his crew chief Chris Gabehart, who outlined concerns about the sport's integrity amid the controversial win.

"I’m not going to get into specifics, but there’s going to be plenty of data for them to find that I think will be pretty convincing that this was also an intentional right-rear hook. Yeah, for the integrity of the sport, if that’s what it was deemed that it was, I don’t see how you can let the win stand,” Gabehart said (via Frontstretch).

As it stands, Dillon has clinched a playoff berth, while Kyle Busch is on the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time since his full-time debut in 2005.