NASCAR announces big penalties as Austin Dillon, Joey Logano both penalized: All you need to know

NASCAR has sanctioned penalties against Penske driver Joey Logano and the winner of the Cook Out 400, Austin Dillon, after a controversial race at Richmond Raceway.

Richard Childress Racing's #3 driver, Dillon, secured the win at Richmond after making a double-contact move in the final lap of overtime. His first victim was Logano, who was running P1 and had a car-length space between him and the #3 Chevrolet. Dillon's second contact was made with JGR's Denny Hamlin, as the #11 driver tried to pass him when he lost balance following the contact with Logano.

NASCAR has now announced a penalty on Austin Dillon, which states that he will not be allowed to participate in the 2024 playoffs as he violated the eligibility rules. Furthermore, his spotter, Brandon Benesch, has been sanctioned a three-race suspension for his actions on Sunday. Moreover, the #3 team will be penalized for 25 driver and owner points.

Dillon's spotter was caught on the team radio instructing, "wreck him," in an attempt to salvage RCR's challenging season. The incident sparked widespread speculation about a potential penalty for the #3 driver, with NASCAR facing heavy criticism for the delay in announcing their decision.

Team Penske's #22 driver Joey Logano was witnessed taking out his frustration after dropping from P1 to P19 during the final stretch at Richmond. Logano recklessly drove past people trying to cross pit road over to the other side. He revved his engine right next to the #3 garage, where Dillon's family was present, and smoked his tires.

NASCAR has sanctioned a $50,000 penalty on Logano for violating the Member Code of Conduct for his questionable actions on pit road following the end of the Cook Out 400. Here's a post via NASCAR on X (formerly Twitter), confirming the penalty.

Three days after the race, NASCAR's decisions have finally been revealed, putting an end to rising speculations by fans and teams alike.

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"I'm expecting something" - Austin Dillon comments on his spotter's words of encouragement amid possible penalty by NASCAR

Austin Dillon grabbed his first victory after 49 winless starts in the Cup Series. However, a lot of controversy has followed the #3 RCR driver's success.

Dillon's spotter shouted the words "wreck him", encouraging the #3 driver to bump into Joey Logano, a decision he followed through with. However, in a recent episode of the Dirty Mo Media Podcast, Dillon expressed his views on a possible penalty for his spotter.

"I'm expecting something obviously. I think as far as my spotter, I talked to him and I truly think you know for all of us the emotions were really high in our situation for the #3 car. We've been beat up, banged up for a while now," the RCR driver said [04:56]

"From my spotter, I feel like he became a fan in the stands on the last lap of Austin Dillon and RCR. He was just saying what came to his mind in the moment and it was wrong and I'm sure there's going to be something from that," he added.

Both Dillon and Benesch have been sanctioned separate penalties. However, Dillon's victory at the Cook Out 400 still stands.