“He got in hot”: Austin Dillon opens up on Kyle Larson incident at Homestead

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon shared his side of the story on his involvement in Kyle Larson’s spin at the end of Stage 3 that ended his chance of winning the second race of the NASCAR playoffs Round of 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. After the race, Dillon received some criticism for handling a tight situation during the Larson incident.

Just before spinning out, Larson, who badly needed a win at Homestead, was running down race leader Ryan Blaney on the final long green flag run. He tried to take his shot, passing to the outside of Blaney and inside the lapped car of Dillon. However, Larson’s bold move did not work out, as he got loose and spun out on his own in Turn 3 with 13 laps remaining in the Straight Talk Wireless 400.

Speaking to FOX Sports’s Bob Pockrass, Austin Dillon said that he held his line against the wall and was unaware of Larson approaching from behind before the #5 driver’s spin.

Reflecting on Larson’s incident, Dillon said:

“Honestly, I was just holding my line against the wall. That was the one place I could just stay. I thought they would turn under me. I didn’t even know the 5 [Larson] was coming, truthfully. In the end, I was just against the wall, and I think he got in hot on my left front. I didn’t do anything but stay against the wall.”

Austin Dillon started the race from the rear of the field but made some progress, finishing Stage 1 in 19th place before dropping to 23rd position by the end of Stage 2. He was a lap down in the closing laps but managed to secure a P25 finish.

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Kyle Larson defends Austin Dillon on Homestead incident

Kyle Larson came forward in defense of Dillon and said that he didn’t do anything wrong by sticking to his line near the wall. Larson also mentioned that he hoped that Dillon might adjust slightly and leave space for him.

Speaking to NBC Sports’ Nate Ryan on pit road, Larson said:

“You’re making split-second decisions. Austin [Dillon] did nothing wrong. I was just hoping that he would see me coming as [Blaney] got to his inside, and maybe he’d run a lane off the wall just to give me some clean air. He continued to run his line.”

Larson’s P13 finish at Homestead put him in danger of getting eliminated from the playoffs. He is seven points below the championship 4 cutline and has to perform without any at Martinsville Speedway next Sunday.