"The three car turned 70 degrees to the left" - Denny Hamlin cites SMT data to prove Austin Dillon's intent at Richmond

Denny Hamlin recently commented on the controversy surrounding Austin Dillon’s actions at the Richmond race. Dillon won his first race since August 2022 in his first outing after NASCAR's two-week break, propelling himself from 32nd to the postseason in the Cup Series standings.

However, Hamlin has accused Austin Dillon of intentionally causing a wreck during Sunday's race at Richmond International Raceway. Dillon bumped Joey Logano in Turn 3 on the final lap, spinning him out of the lead. Hamlin's No. 11 car was also collected in the incident.

In the latest episode of his Dirty Mo Media podcast, "Actions Detrimental," Hamlin used SMT (SportMotive Technologies) data to argue that Dillon’s move was intentional. The 43-year-old provided a detailed breakdown of the final laps of the race, asserting that Dillon's actions were deliberate and not a racing incident.

"The three car turned 70° to the left um you know like a normal corner is when you turn the wheel to about 30 to uh 35°, so double the amount so whatever you make to make a corner," he said. (11:25)

Hamlin pointed out that Dillon's exit from the corner was an exaggerated 70-degree turn, twice the angle of a normal corner exit, causing his car to swerve sharply.

"Let's just say that's 35° of steering wheel angle you know he doubled it to, uh after he got the 22, and so yeah the natural movement is to go from the bottom of the racetrack. You don't just follow the yellow line down the straightway so you come off the corner. You drive up to the wall. I was making a normal Corner exit, um and you can see it usually you can see these things by the cars that are behind," he added. (11:39)

Hamlin also talked about the events leading up to the wreck. He said he was aware something could go wrong but didn’t expect the final moments of the race to unfold as they did. He thought Joey Logano had a clear lead and would win the race.

You can watch the full episode below.

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"You don’t even need technology to use your brain". Denny Hamlin questions NASCAR

In the episode, Denny Hamlin also questioned why NASCAR doesn't use the technology available to analyze such incidents. He argued that it is evident to anyone with common sense that Dillon intentionally spun out Logano, rather than it being a racing accident.

"That was not a racing incident. He did not attempt to make the corner in a normal fashion; he was driving in until he made contact. If they can officiate in the Cars Tour, why don’t they? They don’t have the technology we have. You don’t even need technology to use your brain. That’s my problem with it," Hamlin stated. (40:12).

Moreover, Hamlin believes that qualifying for the playoffs should require more than simply winning a race. He acknowledged that altering the rules mid-season is impractical, but suggested NASCAR could still revoke the win if deemed an illegitimate racing maneuver.