“Anybody that says Austin doesn’t deserve to be at this level, look at the 30 or 40 laps he raced side by side with Ryan Blaney,” said Richard Boswell, Dillon’s crew chief.

Entering Richmond, there was a dark cloud over Austin Dillon as memories returned of the controversial 2024 finish, where he intentionally wrecked two cars on his way to winning the race.

One of the race's hectic sequences occurred on Lap 198, as Chase Briscoe spun into the third turn and collected several cars.