Austin Dillon loses appeal over playoff berth
Austin Dillon and his No. 3 team lost an appeal Wednesday to get their NASCAR Cup Series playoff berth.
NASCAR docked 25 owner and driver points and, most importantly, revoked Dillon and his team’s automatic playoff berth that they earned with the win.
The appeals panel upheld those penalties but reduced spotter Brandon Benesch’s suspension from three races to one.
“NASCAR represents elite motorsports and, as such, its drivers are expected to demonstrate exemplary conduct if its series’ championships are to be validated. In this case, the ‘line’ was crossed,” the panel stated.
The panel consisted of:
- Mr. Tom DeLoach
- Mr. Kelly Housby
- Mr. Tommy Wheeler
The next step for RCR is for them to take their case to the final appeal officer who, as the name indicates, can have the final say on the decision.
The organization issued a statement stating they will do that:
“Richard Childress Racing is disappointed in the results of today’s hearing in front of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel. We respect the NASCAR appeals process, but we do not believe that today’s outcome reflects the facts presented. We plan to appeal the decision to the Final Appeal Officer.”
Bill Mullis, the owner of Langley Speedway, is the final appeal officer.
Following the decision, the NASCAR Cup Series playoff bubble remains unchanged:
13. Martin Truex Jr: 682 points (+77 points to the cutline)
14. Ty Gibbs: +39
15. Chris Buescher: +16
16. Ross Chastain: +1
17. Bubba Wallace: -1 point to the cutline
18. Kyle Busch: -93
19. Chase Briscoe: -115
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com