Richard Childress sends a clear warning to Austin Dillon while leading at Richmond

Austin Dillon has delivered a massive upset for playoff contenders by winning the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, but his triumph wasn't without worry. Richard Childress kept a close eye during the No.3 driver's dominant 107-lap lead, and even cautioned to avoid any costly pit road mistakes.

Following a 12-car wreck in Stage 2, Dillon found himself among the frontrunners. Another incident between Bubba Wallace and Michael McDowell up front worked in his favor and handed him the lead on lap 242.

At that point, the race had seen 12 lead changes between seven different drivers, and Dillon, who started 11th, lost his lead after a pitstop but regained it by clearing Team Penske's Ryan Blaney on lap 340. He once again pitted for fresh rubber and cycled back to the front.

Dillon had made seven pit stops, and his team owner ensured that every stop went smoothly. NASCAR reporter John Newby relayed Childress' radio exchange with Dillon on his X handle, writing:

""When we pit, make sure we don't speed," Richard Childress tells the No. 3 team. Doesn't want to miss out on a big win by a miscue."

John Newby

@JohnNewby_

"When we pit, make sure we don't speed," Richard Childress tells the No. 3 team. Doesn't want to miss out on a big win by a miscue.

Austin Dillon's win comes as redemption for last year's triumph at the same track, when he was stripped of his playoff berth for deliberate contact on the final lap. This time, he punched his playoff ticket with a comfortable margin of 2.4 seconds ahead of Alex Bowman.

The result now moves the cutline to Bowman, and a new winner in the regular season finale at Daytona could knock out the HMS driver from playoff contention.

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Austin Dillon predicts his Richmond win as he reflected on last year's 'struggle'

Ahead of Saturday's Cook Out 400, Austin Dillon spoke to the media and shared a fond reflection of last year's win at Richmond Raceway. Despite being called 'chicken sh*t' by Joey Logano for their final lap skirmish, the Richard Childress Racing driver found a silver lining amid the whole ordeal.

"It was still a big day and I’ll always remember it as one of my favorite wins. We got the trophy, just not the NASCAR Playoffs spot. That part was a struggle, and I hate it for RCR. But this year, going back, I definitely want to go out there and try to win again, but this time lock ourselves into the Playoffs," he said via Daily Express US.

“We had a dominant car last year and really came on strong at the end. We had a multiple-second lead and passed two of the best to do it, so that’s pretty cool,” he added.

Austin Dillon has outlasted his RCR teammate Kyle Busch, who finished a lap down in 16th and has yet to secure a playoff spot a second year in a row.