Austin Dillon’s Victory in Richmond Tightens the Playoff Bubble

Pressure is on for drivers still trying to make the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon certainly doesn’t have to worry about pressure after his performance on Saturday night. Dillon showed off the speed he had last season at Richmond, once again at the sight of his now infamous wrecking of Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in 2024. Austin made sure to do it the right way this time.

Austin Dillon’s Victory in Richmond Tightens the Playoff Bubble

These days in NASCAR, you never know when a surprise winner might occur. Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 shouldn’t have come as a surprise. For whatever reason, RCR brings the speed to the Virginia short track. An old-school feeling race certainly paid off for drivers who could conserve their tires. On a night where it was shaping up to be a type of race for drivers like Denny Hamlin or even Chase Elliott, neither had anything to say come the end of the night.

Fresh Tires Looked Like Rocket Ships

A mixed strategy during the opening stage saw most pit midway through, to get on fresh tires as quickly as possible. A few didn’t, including Ryan Preece, the polesitter, along with Elliott and Alex Bowman, who gambled and stayed out for the entire 70 laps of the opening stage. Sure, Ryan led the first 58 laps, but the way drivers on fresh tires were zooming around the track made those who stayed out drop like rocks. That paved the way for 23XI to show some muscle as Tyler Reddick won the opening stage.

Big One at Richmond Shakes Up the Field

During the second stage, things went bonkers. First, you had drivers like Hamlin, Elliott, and even AJ Allmendinger, who all started at the front and got pit road penalties. That certainly set many of them back. Meanwhile, drivers like Bubba Wallace took advantage as he and teammate Tyler Reddick continued to pace the field.

Cautions started to fly around lap 182, the first saw Daniel Suarez, who hit Ty Gibbs, which then sent him into Reddick. Reddick’s No. 45 was never the same after that. 17 laps later, following a restart, the Big One at Richmond occurred. After Kyle Busch got a little overaggressive, he hit a lot of top drivers, causing a 13-car pileup.

The only issue with it was that only two cars of the 13 involved were knocked out of the race. Those were Justin Haley and Elliott. The bad thing for Chase was that he had cleared the initial wreck, only to get turned into the outside wall by Busch, no less. Right in front of his teammate, William Byron. That moment had a massive impact on the intriguing battle for the regular-season crown.

It also marked Elliott’s first DNF of the 2025 season.

Fun Battle to Decide the Winner

This race came down to three drivers. Dillon, Bowman, and Ryan Blaney. Sure, Blaney thought he was going to luck out after pitting last of the three. But boy was he wrong. Dillon’s team called a great strategy as he led the final 49 laps to secure the win. Bowman was trying his hardest to run Austin down at the end, but had trouble getting through the lap traffic.

Those three certainly put on a show for the sold-out Richmond crowd. Which is all you could ask for, honestly? It felt like a night of old to see the No. 3 in victory lane, while the No. 24 was able to secure the regular season title. Yep, that’s right, William Byron secured the 15 extra playoff points. Elliott’s wreck was enough separation for Byron.

Playoff Bubble Is Tight Going to Daytona

Two spots remain available as the Cup Series heads to Daytona. Tyler Reddick sits 89 points above the cutline. Whole Bowman holds the final spot by 60 points. Going to Daytona, neither can feel safe. After Reddick’s bad finish in Richmond, he cannot get wrecked next week. Daytona has been notorious for walk-off winners, and RFK Racing doesn’t have a single car in the playoff field right now. Preece, Chris Buescher, and Brad Keselowski are all desperate, as are drivers like Kyle Busch, not to mention Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar, who won’t be afraid to do whatever it takes. The pressure is on. It will be interesting to see who delivers, especially after seeing Dillon deliver in Richmond.

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Main Photo: Samuel Corum, Getty Images

Recording Date: 8/16/2025