Ryan Vargas recalls NASCAR’s $60,000 penalty to Carl Edwards amid Austin Dillon’s last-lap maneuvers at Richmond

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon drove down victory lane after a controversial move on Joey Logano in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. Following the end of the race, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series driver Ryan Vargas compared Dillon's win to a similar situation in the 2010 Xfinity Series.

Dillon pilots the #3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, competing full-time in the Cup Series. The 34-year-old has secured five Cup race wins in a career spanning 14 years. Moreover, he is also the 2013 Xfinity Series champion and the 2010 Camping World Truck Series champion.

In the final overtime lap at Richmond, Dillon was in P2 behind Penske driver Logano. He made contact with the rear of Logano's Ford, spinning him out and sending him crashing into the wall. This move caused Dillon to slow down, giving a free pass to JGR driver Denny Hamlin. Then, as Hamlin passed him, Dillon made contact with the #11 car. This sent Hamlin also into the wall, and Dillon took P1 right before the finish line.

Here's a look at the controversial last-lap incident (via NASCAR on NBC):

Soon after the finish, Vargas shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting a similar incident that took place in the Xfinity Series in 2010, where Carl Edwards spun off Brad Keselowski to win at the Gateway International Raceway. Edwards was sanctioned a $25,000 penalty for the incident and a 60-point deduction from the driver standings. Both Keselowski and Edwards were then put on probation, following the on-track incident between them.

Here's a look at the incident, similar to the one we saw at Richmond on Sunday:

Austin Dillon's victory at Richmond was his first top-five finish of the season. With this race win, he has leaped upward in the driver standings from P32 to P26, essentially grabbing a seat in the 2024 playoffs.

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"Overshadowed by a questionable move" - Ryan Vargas comments on the Cook Out 400 Austin Dillon's Controversial win

RCR driver Austin Dillon and JGR driver Denny Hamlin were involved in a hard-fought battle in the last stages of the race. However, Dillon made a risky move before he was able to drive down victory lane.

Incidentally, NASCAR introduced two sets of option tires with more grip but higher wear than the primary tires at Richmond, along with six sets of the normal primary Goodyear tires.

Vargas commented on the strategy calls by drivers in the Cook Out 400 in the new circumstances and also shared his thoughts on the end of the race.

Vargas wrote on X:

"What sucks to me most is that tonight’s race was genuinely the most enthralling strategy race I’ve seen in YEARS. That alternate tire did wonders. Now it’s just gonna be overshadowed by a… questionable move. Dang."

Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez's crew chief called for changing all four tires to the option tire after stage one ended. Suarez was then seen soaring past his opponents on the short oval, fighting for a place in the top three. However, the eventual wear on his tires brought him down to a P10 finish at Richmond.