RICHMOND, Va. — Austin Dillon was hurting mentally and physically when he arrived at Richmond Raceway this weekend.
He found the cure for what ailed him in victory lane Saturday night.
Racing with a broken rib and some wounded pride, Dillon locked into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a clean run to his second consecutive victory on the 0.75-mile oval.
It was a redemptive triumph for the Richard Childress Racing driver, whose postseason eligibility was revoked by NASCAR last year after he wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap to win at Richmond.
After missing the playoffs and enduring criticism from Logano, Hamlin and others who accused him of driving dirty, he went through a 37-race winless stretch before breaking through at Richmond with his first top-five finish of the season.