Controversy overshadowed Austin Dillon's win at Richmond Raceway last season, yet it remains a favorite one year later. After all, he had a car capable of beating the best in the field before a chaotic overtime.
Dillon had a strong car in the closing stage of last season's race, which he used to put himself at the front of the pack and build up a lead of more than three seconds with fewer than five laps remaining. However, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun Ryan Preece, which brought out the caution and sent the race to overtime.
It was during this overtime that Dillon lost the lead to Logano but got it back by turning the Team Penske driver. He then hit Denny Hamlin, which turned the Joe Gibbs Racing driver into the outside wall. Dillon scored his first win since 2022, but NASCAR took his playoff spot away as a penalty for these overtime incidents.
"It was still a big day and I'll always remember it as one of my favorite wins," Dillon said ahead of NASCAR's return to the short track. "We got the trophy, just not the NASCAR playoffs spot.
"That part was a struggle, and I hate it for RCR, but this year going back I definitely want to go out there and try to win again, but this time lock ourselves into the playoffs. We had a dominant car last year and really came on strong at the end. We had a multiple-second lead and passed two of the best to do it, so that's pretty cool."
Dillon has five wins in his career, all of which have taken place under interesting circumstances. His first win was the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017, which he won with the best fuel strategy. He then won the 2018 Daytona 500 after a push on the final lap sent Aric Almirola into the wall.
Then there was the 2020 race at Texas Motor Speedway, which Dillon won after holding off the field with assistance from Tyler Reddick on multiple late-race restarts. His win in 2022 took place at Daytona International Speedway. He avoided a wreck that collected the majority of the field when rain suddenly hit the track. He then passed Austin Cindric for the win after a red flag delay lasting more than three hours.
Why would this win at Richmond become a favorite of Dillon's? It's not a crown jewel like the Daytona 500 or Coca-Cola 600.
One possible reason is that he had one of the best cars in the field. Drivers routinely talk about how they just want to handily beat the rest of the field. If not for the caution, Dillon would have done exactly that.
"I'm pumped to get to Richmond Raceway in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Deer XP Chevrolet," Dillon said. "I've been excited about that one all year. I just want to get there and see if we can be as successful as last year.
"We had a two second lead with however many laps remaining in the race, drove past Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, and the car was just really solid. Unfortunately, an untimely caution put us in a difficult position."