“Pandora’s box has been opened”: Austin Dillon’s penalty may increase NASCAR officials’ involvement in racing incidents as per Jordan Bianchi

Jordan Bianchi expects more involvement of NASCAR officials in racing incidents after they slapped Austin Dillon with a big penalty. The Richard Childress Racing driver made the playoffs but was later removed from the berth and will have to win again to secure his place.

During a conversation with fellow motorsports journalist Jeff Gluck, Bianchi outlined the vagueness of the “line” that Dillon crossed. He also expanded on NASCAR officials awarding such penalties in the future as they’ve done it once with the #3 Chevy driver.

"What happened on Sunday crossed a line by any measure absolutely. There is no doubt about that. Whatever that line is, and that still is really a vague thing that I would like a little bit more defining to, that crossed it," Bianchi said via Dirty Mo Media on X.

"We have to be more careful what you ask for. You want officials to be more involved, you want them to make these balls and strikes calls on these kind of offenses. Well, be careful because now that they've done it once, pandora's box has been opened," the NASCAR insider added.

Austin Dillon crashed out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to regain the lead he lost moments before entering the final lap. While Logano succumbed to a 19th-place finish, Hamlin survived the "highest ever" impact for the runner-up spot.

As a result, the RCR driver has been removed from the playoffs albeit keeping the win. Moreover, the driver and the owner have each been given a 25-point reduction, and thus, Dillon has dropped from 26th to 31st place in the regular season standings.

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"We do not agree with the decision"- RCR to appeal NASCAR's move over Austin Dillon's Richmond fiasco

While Austin Dillon was scrounging for the lead on the final lap and took out Logano, his spotter, Brandon Benesch, radioed in and commanded his driver to "wreck" Denny Hamlin. The #3 Chevy driver did precisely that with the checkered flag in his sight. For that, Benesch has been suspended for the next three Cup races.

Shortly after Benesch's call did rounds in the community, team owner, Richard Childress, during a post-race presser, was asked for his views on the incident. He rejected any such thing thrice, but later praised the spotter for getting them the victory.

However, as the tables have turned amid the penalty, RCR has voiced displeasure and has announced petitioning against the decision (via X).

"Richard Childress Racing is very disappointed in NASCAR’s penalty against the No. 3 team. We do not agree with the decision that was made and plan to appeal."

If the North Carolina-based outfit succeeds in their bid to overturn the penalty, Austin Dillon will see himself in the playoffs. However, if that doesn't come to fruition, the #3 driver will have to score a win in the remaining three races to punch his ticket among the top 16 drivers battling for the championship.