Just like that, all the ground Austin Dillon gained on Tyler Reddick evaporated.
After crossing the start/finish line on Lap 120, Dillon drifted up the track and across the nose of Brad Keselowski‘s car. As a result, the No. 2 Ford hooked his No. 3 Chevrolet, which pounded the outside wall head-on. It pirouetted, briefly lifted off the ground and came to a stop just past the exit of pit road.
“I was starting to come up off the apron because it’s so rough down there,” he said. “But I figured by that point, he would have given me a little room.”
Keselowski took to Twitter after the race to further address the matter.
Watching this makes me sick to my stomach for Austin and his team. He was crazy fast today and deserved better. Definitely not what either of us wanted to see…
With a lap to go we both wanted the stage point and I should have given him more room to avoid this.
Glad he is ok. https://t.co/WPYxdmarWo
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) August 22, 2021
Michigan wreck puts Austin Dillon in points hole
Dillon found himself in this situation, while he side-drafted Keselowski down the frontstretch to maximize his stage points haul. Combined with his third-place finish in the first stage, his sixth in Stage 2 would’ve shaved 13 points off Reddick’s lead for the final playoff spot.
“I hate it for BREZTRI and my guys, most of all,” he said. “The built a rocket ship. They really wanted this one, and I did too. Just working our tails off right there. I think we would have had a shot to do something there at the end with our race car. It’s the best race car we’ve brought to the track at RCR this year, I feel like.”
After the checkered flag waved on the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Dillon finds himself in a 22-point hole to teammate Reddick, with just one race left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.
“The guys have worked so hard,” he said. “You saw the equipment I had, today, and man, it was so fast. I was having a blast out there racing like that. It’s fun to be able to do that. I’ve just got to thank ECR and RCR. But that one is probably done, and we’ll just bring another one next week to Daytona.”
TOP IMAGE: Logan Riely/Getty Images
