The Sunday night Cup race at Richmond Raceway delivered intense action and dramatic finishes. Here’s what the drivers had to say after the checkered flag dropped:
Austin Dillon — Winner
“Winning feels amazing, especially after the season we’ve had. The good Lord blessed us today with a fast No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy. When that caution came out, I knew it was going to get wild, but I had to go for it. Opportunities like this don’t come often. My family, RCR, and our partners expect us to push for the win, so I sent it, and it paid off.”
Denny Hamlin — Finished 2nd
“It’s frustrating, but it’s fair game in NASCAR. There’s no penalty for rough driving, so it opens the door for moves like Austin’s. He hooked me in the right rear, and that’s dangerous—it even hurt my shoulder. The record book won’t care about what happened, but you have to pay your dues eventually. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I understand why he did it.”
Tyler Reddick — Finished 3rd
“Joey (Logano) summed it up perfectly—what a move that was. I understand fighting for a win, but right-hooking someone crosses the line. NASCAR has been strict about that, so it’s surprising. That said, people will do crazy things when a win is on the line. I’m happy for Austin’s team, but it was a wild finish.”
Bubba Wallace — Finished 4th
“We knew it would be a tough race, especially starting below the cut line. Our Leidos Toyota Camry was loose all day, but we kept fighting and improving. The team stepped up on that last pit stop, which was crucial. A top-five finish is great, but we’ve got a long way to go. I guess in NASCAR, you can dump someone and be okay—it’s funny how that works.”
Carson Hocevar — Finished 8th
“Our No. 77 Delaware Life Camaro ZL1 performed well tonight. Starting outside the top 20, we managed to break into the top 10, which is huge for our team. It’s a significant improvement from where we were in the spring, and a single-digit finish is a big boost for us.”
Daniel Suarez — Finished 10th
“What a fun race! These option tires added a lot of strategy, which made it exciting. Our No. 99 Choice Privileges Chevy was fast, and the team executed a great strategy, even though it didn’t fully pay off in the end. A 10th-place finish is still a solid result.”
Ryan Blaney — Finished 11th
“It was a decent night overall. We had a rough pit stop that cost us seven seconds, which hurt us, but we fought back into the top 10 before that last caution. We finished 11th, which isn’t bad, but it could have been better.”
Kyle Busch — Finished 12th
“Considering how the race started, we had a respectable night with our Cheddar’s Patriotic Camaro. The crew did a great job with strategy, and the car improved as the race went on. Congrats to Austin Dillon on his win—he was strong all weekend and capitalized when it mattered.”
Josh Berry — Finished 14th
“We struggled more than expected, but we executed a solid race. Staying on the lead lap and finishing 14th gives us something to build on heading to Michigan.”
Michael McDowell — Finished 15th
“Proud of our Love’s RV Stop Ford Dark Horse team. We fought hard, and taking two tires at the end was a great call by Travis. It got us a top 15 finish, which is a good result given the circumstances.”
Joey Logano — Finished 19th
“Apparently, it’s acceptable to drive like that. I beat him fair and square on the restart, but he just wrecked me and Denny (Hamlin) to win. It’s frustrating, but that’s NASCAR. He’s in the playoffs now, so good for him.”
Noah Gragson — Finished 20th
“We struggled all weekend with forward drive but managed to improve the car throughout the race. We’re excited for Michigan next weekend and ready to keep pushing forward.”
Chase Briscoe — Finished 21st
“Richmond is always tough, but tonight was especially tricky with the tire strategies. It added a new layer to the race, and I’m curious how it would’ve played out if we ran the soft tires the entire time.”
Ty Dillon — Finished 26th
“Not the result we wanted, but we executed well in a long race with no cautions. I’m getting better with each race at Kaulig Racing, and we’ll move on to the next one.”
Justin Haley — Finished 27th
“Richmond is a tough track, but our Pinnacle Home Improvement Ford Mustang Dark Horse did what it needed to. We’ll take what we learned and keep improving.”
Daniel Hemric — Finished 30th
“Tough night, but congrats to Austin Dillon and RCR on the win. We need to regroup, but hopefully, what we learned here will help us on future short tracks.”
Riley Herbst — Finished 33rd
“Richmond is a whole different game in the Cup Series. It took some time to adjust, but we ran every lap, which was the goal in my first Cup race here.”
Martin Truex Jr. — Finished 37th
“The engine hiccupped and then just self-destructed. It’s one of those days where nothing goes right, but we’ll bounce back.”
Final Thoughts
The Richmond Raceway Cup race was a rollercoaster of emotions and intense competition. Austin Dillon’s aggressive move secured a hard-fought victory, but it left several drivers with mixed feelings. As the playoffs approach, every point matters, and the stakes will only get higher from here. Stay tuned for more action as the season heats up.