Written by Sean McKean
In a race that went down to the final few metres, it was Austin Dillon who took victory in Richmond. It was the Richard Childress Racing driver’s fifth career win and first since the summer Daytona race in 2022.
As it unfolded
Beforehand, the main storyline revolved around the choice in tyre compounds. As tested in the All-Star race in North Wilkesboro, the option and prime tyre choices were given to the teams. The options were to be more durable while the primes were to be less durable but faster over a short run. This strategic element would play a crucial role in the race.
Denny Hamlin led the way from pole, and he kept it from teammates Martin Truex and Christopher Bell.
On Lap 40, Bell got by Truex and started chasing the leading Hamlin. Only seven laps later, Bell got the move done and held on to win an uneventful stage. Hamlin finished in second followed by Truex.
Under yellow flag pit cycles, all but two drivers pitted for new yellow-lettered primes – Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell being the odd ones out. But, during this cycle, Bell spun Erik Jones while exiting his stall, the JGR driver receiving nose damage.
The green flag came back out on Lap 81, and while Hamlin took the lead back, all eyes were on Suarez on the red-lettered, softer options. By Lap 93, the Mexican driver made up 14 spots to take the lead from Hamlin.
He kept the lead until pit cycles started on Lap 120. The only event of note was with Chris Buescher, who overshot his pit stall from eighth – falling one lap down. The running order post-pit cycles was Bell, Suarez, Hamlin.
Seeing two drivers successfully make it into the top ten on the tyre, more drivers took the gamble onto the options in this stint. The biggest beneficiaries were Josh Berry and Ryan Preece, who made it to 12th and 13th respectively before they pitted on Lap 165.
The drivers on the primes took their second stops of the stage on Lap 171. Another frontrunner was struck with issues; this time, it was Martin Truex who had an unsecured wheel and subsequently spent a minute in his stop. The 2017 champion fell to 11th.
After the second round of pit stops, the running order was Suarez, Bell, and Hamlin.
This stint likewise saw a few takers to the option tyres, specifically Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch.
Daniel Suarez hung on to take his first stage win since 2022. Bell was in second followed by Hamlin.
Under this caution, almost every driver took the softer option tyres. Daniel Suarez was the only frontrunner to stick with the primes.
On the Lap 242 restart, Bell took the lead with much more grip than Suarez – the Atlanta winner soon being swallowed up by the pack. Hamlin and Logano made up the rest of the top three.
The first retirement of the race came from Martin Truex, who lost power on Lap 250.
The first stops of the final stage started on Lap 279, and drama yet again hit the frontrunners, with Bell getting hit with a speeding penalty. It dropped him from a dominant lead to 15th.
Following pit cycles, Suarez – who was yet to pit on old primes – led from Hamlin and Logano.
Suarez took his stop on Lap 294, as did the other drivers who started the run on the primes. They pitted for fresh primes – saving their last option set for the end.
Just before pit stops began again on Lap 320, a shock contender for victory emerged: Austin Dillon. He had gotten to the bumper of leader Hamlin before cycles began.
Most drivers decided to stay on the primes again. The running order after the cycle remained the same: Hamlin, Dillon, and Logano.
As the laps went to under 35 to go, Dillon once again got to the bumper of leader Hamlin but could not find a way past immediately. With 28 laps remaining, Dillon found his way by and took the lead.
Dillon held the lead dominantly and seemed poised to take victory, but a caution with two laps to go threatened that possibility. Going into Turn 1, Ricky Stenhouse locked up and spun out Ryan Preece. Preece drove away unscathed, but Stenhouse was forced to become the second retirement.
As anticipated, most drivers took the option tyres. Suarez and Blaney were forced to settle with primes, as they used up their remaining sets.
Dillon led the way in the overtime restart, and it initially looked like Joey Logano would take the win, but going into Turn 3 on the final lap, Dillon dove in deep and dumped the two-time champion ahead of him. After this, Hamlin looked to sneak through and win, but Dillon then hooked the JGR driver in the wall.
Subsequently, Austin Dillon took his first win of the season and thus locked himself into the playoffs. Tyler Reddick had to settle for yet another runner-up finish while teammate Bubba Wallace snuck into third. Ross Chastain also found his way into fourth. Rounding out the top five was the damaged Denny Hamlin.
In the fallout post-race, NASCAR executive Elton Sawyer stated there is a "possibility" for penalties stemming from the last-lap incident. Any changes in results will be reflected with an editor's note.
Provisional Results:
#3 Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)
#45 Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing)
#23 Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing)
#1 Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing)
#11 Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)
#20 Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)
#5 Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)
#77 Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports)
#9 Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)
#99 Daniel Suarez (Trackhouse Racing)
#12 Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)
#8 Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing)
#24 William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)
#4 Josh Berry (Stewart-Haas Racing)
#34 Michael McDowell (Front Row Motorsports)
#38 Todd Gilliland (Front Row Motorsports)
#6 Brad Keselowski (Roush Fenway-Keselowski)
#17 Chris Buescher (Roush Fenway-Keselowski)
#22 Joey Logano (Team Penske)
#10 Noah Gragson (Stewart-Haas Racing) +1 lap
#54 Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) +1 lap
#14 Chase Briscoe (Stewart-Haas Racing) +1 lap
#71 Zane Smith (Spire Motorsports) +1 lap
#2 Austin Cindric (Team Penske) +1 lap
#41 Ryan Preece (Stewart-Haas Racing) +1 lap
#16 Ty Dillon (Kaulig Racing) +1 lap
#51 Justin Haley (Rick Ware Racing) +2 laps
#48 Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports) +2 laps
#43 Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club) +2 laps
#31 Daniel Hemric (Kaulig Racing) +2 laps
#42 John Hunter Nemechek (Legacy Motor Club) +3 laps
#21 Harrison Burton (Wood Brothers Racing) +3 laps
#15 Riley Herbst (Rick Ware Racing) +3 laps
#7 Corey Lajoie (Spire Motorsports) +4 laps
#66 Parker Retzlaff (MBM Motorsports) +6 laps
#47 Ricky Stenhouse (JTG-Daugherty Racing) [DNF]
#19 Martin Truex (Joe Gibbs Racing) [DNF]
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