The outcome of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway did not please many people in the industry and will be closely scrutinized for years to come.

In an interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Monday, Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Camry XSE, made his stance on the issue perfectly clear. He believes it makes absolutely no sense for NASCAR to declare Austin Dillon the race winner despite colliding with two cars on the final lap of the race, including Denny Hamlin’s right rear quarter panel.

? “If what happened last night in Richmond is OK, why wouldn’t it be OK to win the championship in Phoenix?” #NASCAR@TylerReddick says the goal at @RichmondRaceway “doesn’t suit him” and he thinks it sets a dangerous precedent.

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— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) 12 August 2024

“From what I’ve seen, from what I’ve experienced personally, it’s always been clear to me that if you right-hook somebody, you’re going to be out for a couple of races, you’re going to lose points, you’re not going to finish on the track where you did and you’re going to get some kind of penalty,” Reddick explained. “That’s the part I don’t understand.”

Last season, NASCAR suspended Chase Elliott for a similar situation when he sent Hamlin hard into the outside wall at the Coca-Cola 600 after hooking Hamlin’s right rear end out of frustration. The year before, Bubba Wallace was also suspended for hooking Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro with his right rear end at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Fast forward to Sunday night in Richmond. The driver who rear-ended another driver on the right side of the track received a trophy and a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. If there are no penalties resulting from the last-lap incidents, Sunday’s result in Richmond represents a drastic departure from the philosophy that has been the precedent in the NASCAR Cup Series for years.

Reddick says he understands why Dillon, who was 32nd in the championship standings on the night, made the move – he was desperate. But Reddick doesn’t believe desperation should be a reason to make a move that non-desperate drivers wouldn’t make. Additionally, Reddick says he had to explain to his son Beau that what happened in Richmond was unacceptable.

“But I mean, I get it, ultimately it worked out. The (No.) 3 won the race and is in the playoffs. I was just very surprised by all of that. It was really, really crazy,” Reddick said. “I think when you think about it — not just in our sport, but worldwide — we’re pretty safe in our cars. I worry about what that means for the young kids who watch the sport. My kid watches the sport. My kid thinks it’s OK because NASCAR thinks it’s OK. And I had to explain to him that what happened was not OK. That’s the crazy precedent they’re setting. My four-year-old thinks it’s OK to potentially ram someone into a wall on the driver’s side to the right because NASCAR said it was OK. I have a problem with that.”

Reddick also has concerns about the integrity of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 10. Reddick says if Dillon’s maneuver that earned him a win at Richmond on Sunday was acceptable to NASCAR, then the same maneuver should be acceptable for a driver battling for the championship at Phoenix.

And if that is the case, then that is a very dangerous precedent.

“If what happened last night in Richmond is OK, why wouldn’t it be OK to win a championship in Phoenix? Do we really want the guy who wins the championship to hit a fellow Championship 4 contender with a right hook? They just said that’s OK, I’m not OK with that,” Reddick explained.

All eyes will be on NASCAR’s weekly penalty report, as the sanctioning body is expected to review video and audio footage and use all resources at its disposal to determine whether Dillon intentionally made the maneuvers on the final lap at Richmond. Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s vice president of competition, said if there are any penalties as a result of the final lap incidents, they would be announced early this week.