NASCAR.com’s Kim Coon goes 1-on-1 with Elton Sawyer, NASCAR's senior vice president of competition to discuss NASCAR’s decision to levy penalties against Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team following the final lap at Richmond Raceway.
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00:00I'm Kim Kuhn alongside Elton Sawyer from NASCAR competition with breaking news from the NASCAR Cup Series
00:06The end of the Richmond race was one of the most controversial finishes of the season, but there are penalties
00:12Elton, what are they?
00:13Yeah
00:14It'd be a 25 point deduction for the driver and the owner of the three car as well as that win not
00:22Allowing them to be eligible for the playoffs as well as a three race suspension for the spotter
00:27And for Joey Logano's actions on pit road, there'll be a $50,000 fine for that
00:32So just to clarify the three team gets to keep the win. It just does not qualify them for the playoffs
00:37Absolutely all the the purrs the it'll be credited for the win gets to keep the trophy
00:42He's just not eligible for the playoffs after the race
00:45You said NASCAR would look at all available data including audio video SMT spotter radio
00:52What did the data show you regarding the contact between the three car and the 22 car that led to these penalties
01:00Yeah, I think in all due respect to the appeal process
01:04We looked at this in the totality of everything that happened
01:08As you entered turn three and as the the cars got to the start finish line. So as we look through all of that data
01:16We came to the conclusion that a line had been crossed
01:20Our sport has been based on for many many years forever on good hard
01:26Bracing contact has been acceptable. We felt like in this case that the line was crossed. So SMT showed intention
01:35In our view that crossed the line without a doubt
01:38again, our sport has
01:41been based on you know
01:44Strong emotions it's been based off, you know when and you're in
01:49but anything that we feel like from the sanctioning body that has crossed the line from a standpoint that
01:55Compromises the integrity of our playoff format as well as our championship. We are going to get involved
02:01Why couldn't the call be made?
02:04Immediately after the race during post race. Yeah, great question
02:08the magnitude of this decision
02:11Needed us to get back get all the information
02:17Be able to
02:21Work with all of our stakeholders
02:23Work with our the folks in the industry have a great deal of experience
02:28Gather all of that information and then sit down and make a NASCAR decision
02:32And that's what we did starting Sunday night gathering the information
02:36Meeting again on Monday as well as yesterday and finally last night coming to a
02:41Conclusion of where we need it where we landed on the on the penalty. You mentioned the integrity of the sport
02:48There could have been different penalties that were levied on the three team the severity of the penalties
02:54We're seeing on the three was that directly to maintain the integrity of NASCAR. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely
03:00I mean, this is not something that that NASCAR really wants to get in the middle of
03:05We've for years. We've allowed our drivers and we will continue to allow them to race
03:11every one of the drivers and those
03:13National Series garages cup level Xfinity level and truck level they understand where the line is
03:20You know, they may ask from time to time. Where is the line?
03:23I guarantee you when you walk through there and you ask them they will know where it is
03:28So we just felt like in this case
03:30We needed to let them know that we know where the line is as well. And this is not something that we're going to tolerate
03:37Okay
03:37So let's talk about the line because after the race you also said our sports been a contact sport for a long time
03:43You always hear where is the line and did someone cross it?
03:47The last lap was awful close to the line now. You've made it clear
03:50They crossed the line does this determine where exactly the line is and set a precedent? I think if you look at it
03:57Again from a 30,000 foot view we take every situation and I know it's a little cliche
04:04But we take every situation and we look at that individually
04:08We don't want to take and try to go back to
04:111986 and what happened in turn three with the 11 and a 3 it's ironic that those two numbers
04:17You don't but you do take and look at that given situation that happened looking at Sunday night
04:23And again, everything that happened is they entered turn three until he got to the start finish line. We took all that in totality
04:31Historically there has been a higher tolerance level for contact in the type of contact at short tracks
04:37Richmond is a short track
04:38But does this open the door for heavier policing of contact at Martinsville at Bristol and other short tracks?
04:45I think if you again if you look at it
04:47The
04:50Short answer would be yeah, we're going to be on high alert. We don't want to be in the middle of this
04:55We don't want to over officiate races
04:57But also as stewards of the sport the sanctioning body from time to time has to step in and kind of reset
05:03To make sure that our drivers understand, you know, where the boundaries are, you know, I hear that all the time
05:09Where is the boundaries?
05:10Our goal here is to to help define those boundaries and when they go back and look and say well
05:16I know what is acceptable and I know what's not
05:24The control is in the drivers hands, what was the thought behind the suspension of the three-team spotter?
05:31Yeah, if you look at if you look at the crew chief and you look at the spotter
05:36And read and view them as calming voices in the drivers here
05:41In this case, it just felt like we've all listened to the audio. We know exactly what was said
05:46We just felt like that that was that's not what we need spotters doing. That's not what we need
05:51You know crew chief sitting on the box. They're a calming voice to what the situation
05:57Is in front of them and there's supposed to be spotting for the race not making, you know
06:02Comments like we're made as we all know regarding the incident on pit road with the 22 car
06:07Will NASCAR be making any changes to access or post race protocol?
06:12Yeah, some of this we've got some work to do on our side with a lot of people on pit road
06:17And there always is we have our officials out there. So first and foremost
06:22The drivers need to understand that totally understand the emotion I get it
06:26They've been there a few years back
06:28But you have to respect the fact that we do have people on pit road. Our officials will be there security will be there
06:36We'll do a better job on our side to make sure that families and young children and
06:41Sponsors and of that nature or not on the hot side
06:44What message does NASCAR hope to send with these penalties not just to the teams but to everyone
06:50Yeah, I think the message to the industry is that we will step in and make a tough decision
06:57Again, we we gathered all the data
07:00We would prefer not to be sitting here talking about this today
07:04But when our garages to understand that we will do this if we have to so go out race hard race like NASCAR drivers
07:11They know what they can and can't do. I promise you they know that
07:15So go do that Elton. Thank you for the time
07:18Thank you Kim for more information on this developing story. Stay tuned to NASCAR calm