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BROOKLYN, Mich. — Austin Dillon has no regrets over his aggressive actions that triggered last-lap wrecks for Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin.

Dillon went on to win at Richmond Raceway, although NASCAR then revoked his resulting automatic spot in the playoffs.

“You don’t hate the player,” Dillon said Saturday, a day before the Firekeepers 400 was scheduled to run at Michigan International Speedway. “You hate the game.”

The game — or the system, as many Cup Series drivers call it — creates high-stakes, risk-reward racing for competitors needing to win to secure a spot in the 16-car playoffs.

Dillon was, and still is, one of those desperate drivers, and NASCAR determined he “crossed a line” and went too far.

The checkered flag seemed out of reach last weekend for Dillon, who started Richmond No. 32 in the standings, until the final seconds, when he spun Logano out of the way and sent Hamlin into the wall.

Three days later, NASCAR announced that Dillon committed “actions detrimental to stock car auto racing” in its decision to take him out of a guaranteed spot in the 16-driver field.

There are 12 drivers with a spot secured in the playoffs, leaving four spots open with three races remaining.

NASCAR’s decision to revoke Dillon’s spot in the postseason gave a dose of hope for drivers such as Bubba Wallace, who currently holds a position in the playoff picture that would give him a spot based on points even if he doesn’t win.

“There are still four spots left instead of the three,” Wallace said. “Definitely a relief there, but it is still going to be a dogfight. We are still not safe, but there is an extra spot open now.”

Dillon and the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 team were docked points in the drivers’ and owners’ standings, dropping him from 26th to 31st in the driver standings.

Brandon Benesch, Dillon’s spotter, was suspended for three races for yelling “Wreck him!” over the radio as the driver raced with Hamlin down the stretch.

RCR is appealing NASCAR’s decision.

NASCAR, meanwhile, was wired $50,000 from Logano to settle a fine for smoking his tires on pit road as he drove by Dillon and his team.

Logano suggested that what Dillon did to him at Richmond was akin to someone breaking into his house, stealing his stuff and dancing with the ill-gotten possessions on the front lawn.

“What would you do?” Logano said. “I was not going to do anything to hurt anybody, but I’m not a robot. I was emotional about it, rightfully so.”

Hamlin wished the ruling had been made in real time Sunday night but added that he was satisfied with NASCAR’s decision.

“I saw something that I’ve never seen before last week, and we saw an unprecedented penalty for it,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin will start on the pole Sunday after rain washed out qualifying.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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