Dillon penalty boxes in NASCAR, Logano lucky his isn’t worse
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Ryan McGee
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Ryan McGee
ESPN Senior Writer
- Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com
- 2-time Sports Emmy winner
- 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year
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Marty Smith
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Marty Smith
ESPN
- ESPN NASCAR lead reporter
- Former NASCAR.com senior writer
- 15 years covering NASCAR
On Sunday night at Richmond International Raceway, Austin Dillon wrecked his way to a thrilling season-saving victory that returned him to the winner’s circle for the first time in nearly two years and also earned him a coveted spot in the NASCAR Playoffs … until it didn’t. On Wednesday, NASCAR announced that Dillon would keep the win but it would no longer count toward his postseason eligibility. The sanctioning body also suspended his spotter for three races and fined Joey Logano, one of Dillon’s two in-race victims, $50,000 for angrily weaving through people on the postrace pit lane on his way to express his displeasure to Dillon’s crew.
It’s a lot to process. A lot of people are angry and have been since Sunday night. So, who better to sift through the physical, emotional and financial wreckage than Marty & McGee?
McGee: First things first. What did you think of the Richmond finish over the weekend before all this other news and podcasts and penalties happened?
Marty: I thought it was desperate by Dillon, but he was in a desperate position. And given the context of the rules under which he was playing in the moment, I don’t blame him one bit for doing what he did.
McGee: Agreed.
Marty: He is the heir of his grandfather’s racing organization that has had an awful year, competitively irrelevant, very rarely made any speed. And for one of the first times all year long, you’re actually running up front all night. And if you go back and look at the practice speeds, he was making speed all weekend, so he had a legitimately good race car. This is an opportunity for him to supplant other drivers that were dozens of positions ahead of him in the point standings and guarantee himself, in that moment, the opportunity for his team to get all the exposure, any bonus money, any escalators, of being a playoff team at the highest level of American motorsport. So, he did what he had to do. And there is a hell of a long line of sinners who’ve done the same thing and been celebrated for it.
McGee: There have always been those racers who have never received the benefit of the doubt, and Dillon is one of those drivers. It has been that way his entire career. I have written columns about it. I’ve argued with people on Twitter about it. Those are the people that I’m talking about. And among those people are race car drivers, people who race against him on the weekends. “Well, he’s no Dale Earnhardt, and he doesn’t deserve the No. 3!” But I would also argue that had Dale Earnhardt done what Austin Dillon did at Richmond, then they would still be replaying it on all of NASCAR social media, and it would be on a loop in the NASCAR Hall of Fame because who you are makes a huge difference on how things are perceived. Speaking of perception, your perception of the penalties? Dillon was in the NASCAR Playoffs, and now he’s not.
Marty: I think we won’t know a real answer for a while. I think this has to play itself out a little bit to really have a true understanding of its magnitude. I understand NASCAR’s positioning because of the blatant nature of the decision Dillon made. All that said, I personally do not agree with the decision.
McGee: Me, either. We now have a ripple effect that I’m not sure NASCAR is going to want.
Marty: I think that he was playing under the rules that were in place. Denny Hamlin is upset and has a right to be. Sorry. Logano is upset and has a right to be. Sorry. But those are the rules, and NASCAR will say, “We didn’t take his win away!” but what they took away was more valuable than the trophy, and so for me, I don’t like the decision on NASCAR’s part. They will say they are setting a precedent that you can’t do this. Well, I think it’s based on making sure this doesn’t happen in Phoenix at the end of the year. Well, tell them before you go into the competitive arena at Phoenix: “If you do that and we deem it purposeful, you ain’t getting the title.”
McGee: Absolutely. There are contextual penalties. That exists in any sport. You talk to any football official, and they will tell you that there’s a personal foul they won’t call in the second quarter that they will absolutely call with two minutes to go in a game, when the stakes are higher and when they have warned the players multiple times during the game or even during the season, “If you guys keep doing this, it’s going to cost you.”
Marty: Context matters.
McGee: Hell yes it does, and people who like to go back to the old days, that’s how Bill France Jr. did it when he was in charge. He would walk in and say, “All right, this is how this is going to be today, and y’all better not do this.” And then there were also times where he would say, “OK, y’all do everything you want today.” And it doesn’t feel like that context existed in this decision. You wanted to set a precedent and you’ve done it, but now you are also going to have to defend it when you don’t do this in certain situations going forward.
Marty: I was in the truck for 11 hours on Wednesday, just the dog and me, and I was going back through NASCAR history in my head, and some of those moments you’re discussing, whether it is Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace in 1998 …
McGee: At Richmond!
Marty: Kyle Busch dumping Dale Jr. to win in 2008 …
McGee: At Richmond!
Marty: I know playoff positions weren’t up for grabs at that moment, but it still speaks to the broader scope and magnitude of NASCAR’s decision or Dillon’s decision, that are wider-reaching and deeper. But I just like it. I think that those types of moments are what built the sport. And quite frankly, because of that finish, NASCAR was on “SportsCenter” immediately on Sunday night, right? NASCAR hadn’t been on “SportsCenter” since six months ago when Ryan McGee was doing a live shot in a motorized recliner at the Daytona 500.
McGee: It goes back to the 1979 Daytona 500 and “the fight.” Publicly, NASCAR fined Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers for “actions detrimental to the sport.” Privately, Bill Jr. flew them down to Daytona, thanked them for what they did and never charged them a dime.
Marty: Then there is the other half of this Richmond story. You have every right to be pissed off if you are Logano, but when you’re on the pit lane and it’s the end of a race — and you and I both lived it millions of times — it’s chaos. There are people running everywhere. Joey lost his temper, but you have to make sure, as furious as he was and had a right to be, you have to maintain your composure much better than he did. There is zero excuse for driving down the pit lane through people. Zero.
NASCAR got it right with all of the post-Richmond rulings. And after watching Logano’s onboard camera as he plowed down the postrace pit lane, people are lucky they aren’t in the hospital and he’s lucky he didn’t end up jail. pic.twitter.com/ZyGMzDLAz5
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) August 14, 2024
McGee: He’s lucky he’s not in jail, and we are all lucky that people aren’t in the hospital. A lot of fans have said to me, “Well, those people shouldn’t have been out there!” No, there’s a rhythm to that, a postrace routine that has been in place forever. Regardless of whether they should be out there, they were where they were, right? There’s safety in that routine: Cars stay to the right, people stay to the left, and those people aren’t allowed to go all the way out there until the cars come to a complete stop. As soon as Logano pulled left and started driving through people, that routine and rhythm was altered. That’s why that family was standing there; they were standing in a safe spot. There weren’t supposed to be race cars there. People have said to me, “Well, yeah, what if his brakes had gone out?” Irrelevant, because they wouldn’t have been allowed out there until the cars had stopped.
Marty: He just knows better than that.
McGee: Yes, he does, because his family does that same routine, too. That, to me, was even more egregious than what took place on a racetrack, because a race car driver knows what he’s getting into. A NASCAR official and a pit crew member and a mom holding a baby, they know where they are, but they also know where they are standing is supposed to be safe. He created a very, very unsafe environment.
Marty: He’s been a Cup Series driver forever, more than half his life, and you have a right, in my opinion, to march your ass into Victory Lane and bust Austin Dillon right in the mouth. That’s you and him.
McGee: Not you and innocent bystanders.
Marty: I wonder what will happen if this happens again, and how will NASCAR rule it? Is it now black and white? Dillon hooking Hamlin and running into Logano, that was not subjective. He did both like a bat out of hell to give his team that chance to make the playoffs. A lot of calls coming to the checkers are subjective, though. So, if you’re a team who is 20th in points, or hell, 18th in points, and you’re right outside that threshold, and you’re door to door, coming to the checkers, and you’re on the outside, you’re leaning on that door and somebody gets dumped, what’s NASCAR going to do? Well, now they are in the box.
McGee: A box they built themselves.
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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
There’s an ancient South Florida proverb about numbers: Not one. Not two. Not three. Not four.
Opening the Eastern Conference finals with five goals in Game 1 on Tuesday showed that at least for one game the Florida Panthers could find a breakthrough against the Carolina Hurricanes. Only for Thursday to arrive and the Panthers to once again post five more goals in a 5-0 win to take a 2-0 series lead before heading back to Sunrise for Game 3.
How did both teams perform? Who are the players to watch next game, and what are the big questions facing the Hurricanes and Panthers ahead of Game 3 on Saturday?
Say what you will about the offside goal being akin to Charlie Brown getting the football pulled out from under him by Lucy. While it’s possible that the disallowed goal could have provided momentum, there were other things that suggested the Hurricanes were going to struggle.
Under Rod Brind’Amour, they’ve become one of the teams that consistently generates the highest number of shots per game. They entered Game 2 averaging 33.2 shots per game, yet they hadn’t even cracked double digits until there was 14 minutes remaining in the third period. Natural Stat Trick’s metrics showed they had two high-danger scoring chances midway through the third period, and after giving up seven goals throughout the entirety of the second round, they’ve allowed 10 goals in the first two games.
Or view it this way: The Panthers had more goals than the Hurricanes had high-danger scoring chances. — Clark
What more is there to say about Florida, really? The term “clinic” doesn’t seem to cover it. The Panthers have done it all against Carolina in these first two games.
Thursday was another dominant performance by the reigning Stanley Cup champions in an offensive and defensive effort that requires no notes. The Panthers set a tone early with Gustav Forsling‘s goal just 1:17 into the game and never relented. The Hurricanes were averaging over 33 shots per night in the postseason (second most among playoff teams), and Florida limited their chances to seven shots through the first two periods alone — while the Panthers pummeled Carolina with 16 shots and four goals in the same span. It was enough to chase Frederik Andersen from the net, when he was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov with a four-goal deficit.
The Hurricanes’ top scorers were simply no match for Florida’s attack or a locked-in Sergei Bobrovsky, who, while not heavily challenged, was a match for all comers in a 16-save shutout. The way Florida is playing right now, one has to wonder how the Hurricanes can get back in this series as the teams shift down to Florida. — Shilton
Three Stars of Game 2
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Panthers go up 3-0 on Sam Bennett’s power-play goal
The Panthers threaten to run away with it after Sam Bennett’s power-play goal makes it 3-0 in the first period.
He had two goals and a helper, as the Panthers dominated the Hurricanes in Game 2. This is Bennett’s second career 3-plus point playoff game and second career multigoal playoff game.
2. Team defense
The Hurricanes were averaging 33.2 shots per game this postseason, second in the playoffs to the Colorado Avalanche. But the Panthers, with their efficient and suffocating defense, held Carolina to five shots in the first 30 minutes of the game. Near the end of the second period, the fans at Lenovo Center were growing tired of it and started chanting “shoot the puck” at their team. Carolina did have more shot volume in the third period, ending with 17, but nothing got past Sergei Bobrovsky.
3. Offside reviews and coaching tactics
Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of lengthy offside reviews. I wish there was a timer — if you can’t make the call in 90 seconds, then the call on the ice stands. But the Florida Panthers executed one to perfection in Game 2. Up 3-0 in the second period, the Hurricanes scored, but thinking the play was offside, the Panthers called a timeout to buy more time to see every angle available, eventually calling for the challenge. It was indeed determined to be offside and the goal was taken away. — Arda Öcal
Players to watch in Game 3
Let’s start here with the Hurricanes. There’s no shortage of options. Part of the reason Svechnikov is in this space is because he leads the Hurricanes in goals this postseason. The rest of it has more to do with whether the Canes can rely on a certain postseason pattern for Svechnikov holding true. After going goalless in Games 2 and 3 against the New Jersey Devils in the first round, he responded with a hat trick. He didn’t score in the first two games against the Washington Capitals only to then score a goal in three straight games. Could Svechnikov respond by grabbing at least one goal in Game 3? Or are the Canes in store for more offensive struggles once they arrive in Sunrise? — Clark
The Panthers’ instigator had been quiet since Florida’s first-round series win over Tampa Bay, recording just five assists in eight games heading into Game 2 against Carolina. But Tkachuk looked more like himself Thursday, agitating the Hurricanes and making his physical presence felt. He also emerged early on the score sheet, registering an assist on Gustav Forsling’s game-opening salvo and adding a goal — Tkachuk’s first in 10 games — in the opening period to extend Florida’s lead to 2-0. It was a testament to how commanding Tkachuk’s line was with Sam Bennett (two goals and an assist) and Carter Verhaeghe (three assists) that he was able to finally appear as the Tkachuk of old. If this was indeed Tkachuk’s reawakening after a slow stretch, then the Hurricanes better be well aware of Tkachuk going forward because he was as dangerous as ever at both ends of the ice in Game 2. — Shilton
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Matthew Tkachuk taps it in to pad the Panthers’ lead
Matthew Tkachuk sneaks the puck past the goalie to pad the Panthers’ lead against the Hurricanes.
Big questions for Game 3
What’s the response to their worst playoff loss this year?
Several questions will be asked when it comes to what adjustments can be made before Game 3. Could one of them be about what the Hurricanes must do to get off to a stronger start? Allowing two first-period goals in Game 1 already presented the reality that the Panthers were going to remain aggressive. But to then give up the first goal less than two minutes into the first before giving up three in total in an opening frame that saw the Panthers record just five shots on net? That only adds to the degree of difficulty for a team that has now lost two straight playoff games after losing two postseason games in total over the first two rounds, especially when the last time the Hurricanes were down 0-2 to the Panthers in a playoff series was during the 2023 Eastern Conference finals in which they were swept. — Clark
Will Sam Reinhart be back at full strength for the Panthers?
Florida saw one of its top skaters exit in the first period after Sebastian Aho delivered a hit that forced Reinhart out for the remainder of the game with a lower-body injury. While Florida had Game 2 well in hand even before Reinhart became unavailable, it’s safe to say the Panthers are a better team when he’s in the lineup. Reinhart’s status going forward is significant for Florida overall. Reinhart paced the Panthers with 39 goals and 81 points in the regular season and notched 11 points in 13 postseason tilts going into Game 2. Florida must hope that Reinhart isn’t just available for Game 3 (and beyond), but that he’s not too banged up to continue operating at a high level. — Shilton
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