For 397-and-a-half laps at Richmond Raceway Sunday’s race was rather routine. Long green flag runs with strategy thrown in to keep things interesting enough. But after Lap 398, chaos ensued resulting in an Austin Dillon win with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin both left fuming over their destroyed race cars.

Okay, so you’re probably wondering what in the world changed between Lap 398 and the checkered flag. So, let’s get there and try to follow along because it was a lot in just a few laps.

Austin Dillon, who was 32nd in points and needing a win to get into the playoffs, was driving away from the field. The only thing that could slow him down was a caution flag, which had not been seen all night except for at the end of the first and second stages. But of course, there would indeed be a caution flag waving when literally right in front of Dillon Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece decided to wreck each other with less than two laps to go.

INSANITY ON THE FINAL LAP AT RICHMOND.

AUSTIN DILLON WINS AFTER CRASHING JOEY LOGANO AND DENNY HAMLIN. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/mpQKcK236J

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 12, 2024

That caution resulted in an Overtime restart that saw Dillon line up to the inside of Logano and with Hamlin behind Dillon on the inside of Row Two. 

On that restart, Logano powered by Dillon on the outside and quickly started to pull away. Dillon, seeing his playoff chances slipping away, drove deep into turn three on the final lap and slammed Logano in the back bumper, spinning Logano out. 

As Logano spun, Hamlin slipped underneath Dillon in a bid for the win. Dillon, seeing Hamlin underneath him, turned hard left and hooked Hamlin in the right-rear and turned Hamlin into the wall. Dillon was able to get back by and take the checkered flag for the first time since the August race at Daytona International Speedway in 2022, which also was a must-win race for Dillon.

Dillon, when asked by NBC if it was a fair move, said “I don’t know, man. It’s been two years and this was the first car I had with a shot to win.”

"I felt like with two to go we were the fastest car and obviously Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) wrecked a guy. I hate to do that, but sometimes you just gotta have it."

Logano, who is unofficially scored 19th after the spin, called the move “chickenshit.”

Joey Logano called out Austin Dillon for wrecking him and Denny Hamlin on the final lap to win at Richmond. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/aKdtvjaJ4q

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 12, 2024

"He's four car-lengths back. He's not even close. Then he wrecks the 11 to go along with it," said a furious Logano. "Then he's gonna go up there and thank God and praise everything with his baby. It's a bunch of BS. I get a bump and run. I get it. I didn't even back up the corner at all and he just came up there and drove through me. It's ridiculous that that's the way we race. Unbelievable. I get bump and runs. I do that. I would expect it. But from four car-lengths back he was never going to make the corner. And then he wrecks the 11 to go with it. What a piece of crap."

Logano was asked by NBC's Dillon Welch what exactly is fair game and how Logano will race Dillon moving forward and in the playoffs. Logano simply replied, "wait and see."

NASCAR is back in action next weekend at the Michigan International Speedway with just three races remaining until the field of 16 drivers for the playoffs is decided.