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Nashville, TN – NASCAR has concluded its review of an on-track incident involving Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, determining that no penalties are warranted against Dillon. The decision was communicated by Amanda Ellis, Senior Director of Racing Communications for NASCAR, during an appearance on the official NASCAR Hauler Talk Podcast. The controversy stemmed from a late-race incident that Keselowski and his spotter, TJ Majors, believed to be a deliberate act of retaliation by Dillon.
The sequence of events began on Lap 145 of the Cup Series race. A bottleneck at pit entry and a tight situation on the frontstretch led to contact between Keselowski and Dillon. As Keselowski shaded low and appeared to momentarily slow, Dillon, who was following closely, spun off Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford Mustang. In the immediate aftermath, Dillon expressed his frustration, implying Keselowski’s actions contributed to his spin.
Approximately 47 laps later, during a restart with heavy traffic, a stack-up occurred on the track. Dillon, running behind Keselowski, followed him down to the apron of the track. Contact ensued, resulting in Dillon initiating a collision that sent Keselowski into the wall and out of the race. In real-time radio communications, Majors immediately alerted Keselowski to his suspicions. "He’s just tracking him. Out of the corner, he’s like, ‘Oh, I’m going where he goes.’ He’s looking for him," Majors communicated to Keselowski, indicating a belief that Dillon’s move was intentional.
Following the incident, Keselowski, a two-time Cup Series champion and co-owner of RFK Racing, shared his conviction with the Prime Video broadcast commentators. "You know, I felt like we had just made the adjustments on the car we needed to be competitive… and it’s pretty clear he wrecked me intentionally after seeing that replay," Keselowski stated. He further added, "So, turnabout is fair play."
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NASCAR officials, however, conducted a thorough review of the incident, utilizing available data and communications. Ellis explained that NASCAR competition strategist Scott Miller meticulously examined SMT (Sporting Management Technology) data, including throttle input and radio transmissions, to assess the situation.
"When that incident occurred, you do kind of take notice of what happened on the track," Ellis commented. "We actually have the ability… Scott Miller pulled all the data from that incident, and we knew pretty quickly that Austin was out of the throttle and they both were at the time of the incident. They obviously tangled on the track, and then the incident happened, right? … But we were able to tell pretty quickly that it wasn’t a situation where Austin was in the gas or anything related to that."
Ellis emphasized that NASCAR’s interpretation, based on the data and the context of the racing environment, leaned towards a racing incident. "To your point, TV also kind of made that judgment call that they didn’t think it was on purpose, even though they had a difference of opinion about the race. We think it was more of a racing incident in NASCAR’s opinion," she concluded.
This assessment by NASCAR aligned with the opinions expressed by some broadcast analysts, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte, who were part of the NBC Sports broadcast team. While acknowledging the contentious nature of the event, they did not definitively conclude that Dillon’s actions were intentionally malicious.
However, TJ Majors, Keselowski’s spotter, remained steadfast in his belief that Dillon’s maneuver was deliberate. In an interview on the "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, Majors reiterated his perspective to co-host Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Just watching it, to me, he’s just tracking him. Out of the corner, he’s like, ‘Oh, I’m going where he goes.’ He’s looking for him," Majors insisted.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., a legendary figure in NASCAR and co-owner of JR Motorsports, offered a more nuanced view, suggesting that while Dillon may have been aggressive or unsympathetic to Keselowski’s plight, outright intent to wreck him might be a step too far. "My opinion is that, did he try to wreck you on purpose? I don’t think he did. Did he give a shit that you wrecked? No, but I don’t think, considering everything that they’ve had to go through the last couple of weeks, that they want to be out there wrecking people," Earnhardt Jr. explained.
When pressed by Majors about what Dillon should have done differently, Earnhardt Jr. suggested a different approach. "I would’ve lifted. To me, he’s just tracking Brad right there the entire time," Majors stated.
The SMT data, as detailed by Ellis, indicated that both drivers were significantly off the throttle at the moment of impact. Specifically, Dillon’s throttle input dropped from 100 percent approaching Turn 4 to a mere 17 percent at the point of contact. This data point supports NASCAR’s conclusion that Dillon was not actively accelerating into Keselowski.
Earnhardt Jr. further elaborated on the chaotic nature of restarts and the proximity of the cars. "I think everybody was checking up. I don’t think he drove into you on purpose," Earnhardt Jr. said. "He sees (Noah Gragson) slide up the track, he’s getting down the track just like you are." The presence of other cars and the dynamic of a restart can often lead to drivers making split-second decisions to avoid contact, sometimes resulting in proximity that appears aggressive to observers.
The incident occurred at a critical juncture in the race for both drivers. Brad Keselowski, driving the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford Mustang, has been seeking to build momentum for his team, which has been undergoing a significant technical overhaul in recent seasons. RFK Racing, co-owned by Keselowski and Jack Roush, has shown flashes of improvement but is still aiming for consistent top-tier performance. Austin Dillon, piloting the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, has had a challenging season in 2023, with limited top-10 finishes. RCR, a storied team with a strong history, is also striving to re-establish itself as a consistent championship contender in the Cup Series.
NASCAR’s decision not to penalize Dillon means that the incident will be recorded as a racing incident, and no points, fines, or suspensions will be issued. The focus for both drivers now shifts to the upcoming races on the schedule, where they will continue to compete for points and positioning in the championship standings. The outcome at Nashville, while contentious, will not carry further disciplinary action from the sanctioning body.
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