Austin Dillon Questioned Over Cook Out 400 Appeal – ‘Wish Everyone Could See It’

Austin Dillon’s win at the Cook Out 400 in Richmond has been overshadowed by controversy and penalties, as NASCAR deemed his conduct during the race as detrimental to the sport, revoking his playoff eligibility that was contingent on this victory.

In a revealing interview on ESPN’s Marty & McGee show (below), Dillon detailed his intentions to challenge NASCAR’s harsh decision through an appeal.

“With that appeal obviously we deserve to be in the playoffs,” Dillon asserted. “We want to reverse that decision that NASCAR has made to take our playoff eligibility away. We feel like we have a case to stand on and should.”

Despite the looming penalty, Dillon maintained a confident and hopeful frame of mind.

“I think the biggest thing is to be able to state our case,” he commented. “A lot of people in the industry have given their opinion and we have been celebrating our win, enjoying the fact that the 3 car was the fastest car at Richmond this past weekend. Had a three-second lead with two laps to go.”

However, frustrations bubbled as Dillon spoke about the limitations on sharing his full perspective until the official appeal.

“I’ve got to be careful with what I give out right now for the appeal process, because it’s going to be like a trial,” he explained during a broadcast on Saturday afternoon. “It really is. Wish everybody could see it, television. Would be cool to be in there. Because I haven’t really given my entire story of the game yet.”

His standings in the overall points—at a precarious 31st position—prove just how significant a successful appeal would be. Without it, Dillon’s only path back to playoff contention would necessitate another race victory, presenting a daunting challenge under pressing circumstances.

If his appeal fails, it could significantly reshape his racing season and playoff prospects.

NASCAR Cup Series Current Standings

1. Kyle Larson – 779 points
2. Denny Hamlin – 758 points
3. Christopher Bell – 701 points
4. William Byron – 678 points
5. Ryan Blaney – 702 points
6. Tyler Reddick – 774 points
7. Chase Elliott – 773 points
8. Brad Keselowski – 636 points
9. Alex Bowman – 615 points
10. Joey Logano – 557 points
11. Daniel Suarez – 497 points
12. Austin Cindric – 451 points
13. Martin Truex Jr. – 662 points
14. Ty Gibbs – 602 points
15. Bubba Wallace – 587 points
16. Chris Buescher – 584 points
    (PLAYOFFS CUT-OFF)
17. Ross Chastain – 584 points
18. Chase Briscoe – 485 points
19. Kyle Busch – 465 points
20. Todd Gilliland – 454 points
21. Michael McDowell – 431 points
22. Carson Hocevar – 414 points
23. Josh Berry – 412 points
24. Noah Gragson – 400 points
25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 376 points
26. Ryan Preece – 341 points
27. Erik Jones – 337 points
28. Justin Haley – 329 points
29. Corey LaJoie – 327 points
30. Daniel Hemric – 323 points
31. Austin Dillon – 319 points
32. John Hunter Nemechek – 313 points
33. Zane Smith – 262 points
34. Harrison Burton – 243 points
35. Kaz Grala – 166 points
36. Cody Ware – 47 points
37. Joey Hand – 43 points
38. Jimmie Johnson – 39 points
39. Derek Kraus – 32 points
40. David Ragan – 17 points
41. Kamui Kobayashi – 8 points
42. Will Brown – 6 points
43. Cam Waters – 2 points