Dillon spins Logano on final lap, prevails in overtime at Richmond for first victory in 2 years

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Desperate to win for the first time in nearly two years — and with the race suddenly slipping away — Austin Dillon sent two cars into the wall in rapid succession.

The result was a season-changing victory, an avalanche of controversy and at least two veteran drivers who were absolutely furious.

“I hate to do that, but sometimes you just got to have it,” Dillon said.

Dillon raced and bumped his way to victory Sunday night, sending Joey Logano into a spin on the final lap to win in overtime at Richmond. It was his first win since Aug. 28, 2022, at Daytona. He had just two top-10 finishes this year and entered the race ranked 32nd in the standings. Now he's on track for the playoffs — but he didn't get there gently.

Dillon appeared to be cruising to a victory when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece collided, forcing the first caution of the entire 400-lap, 300-mile race aside from the prescheduled ones after the ends of the first two stages.

So the drivers went to overtime, and Logano clearly got the better of Dillon on the restart. Then Dillon came up directly behind Logano and spun him.

“It’s ridiculous that that’s the way we race. Unbelievable,” Logano said. “I get bump and runs. I do that. I would expect it. But from four car lengths back, he was never going to make the corner. And then he wrecks the other car. He wrecks the 11 to go with it. What a piece of crap.”

The 11 was Denny Hamlin, who appeared to be moving past Dillon on the inside after Dillon bumped Logano's No. 22 car. Then Dillon hit the back right part of Hamlin's car and put him into the wall, too.

“He’s going to be credited with the win, but obviously he’s just not going to go far,” Hamlin said. “You’ve got to pay your dues back on stuff like that. But it’s worth it, because they jump 20 positions in points. So I understand all that. There’s no ill will there. I get it. I just hate I was a part of it. It would have been fun if I was not one of the two guys that got taken out on the last corner.”

Dillon emerged from all the chaos with a victory in his No. 3 Chevrolet. That number was famously driven — often aggressively — by Dale Earnhardt. But times have changed since Earnhardt's heyday, and Elton Sawyer, NASCAR's senior vice president of competition, made it clear the end of this race would be looked at.

“In my view, that's getting really close to crossing the line,” Sawyer said.

Actually vacating the victory, however, would be an extraordinary step.

“Historically, that hasn't been our DNA to take races away, but that's not to say that going forward this wouldn't start to set a precedent,” Sawyer said. “We'd have to look at it.”

Dillon appeared on his way to a much less controversial win after passing Hamlin for the lead with 29 laps to go. But then the Stenhouse-Preece crash and subsequent restart left Dillon in danger of an agonizing defeat.

Dillon said he was trying to move Logano's car, but hitting Hamlin as well was more of an instant reaction.

“I've seen Denny and Joey make moves that have been running people up the track to win,” Dillon said. “This was the first opportunity in two years for me to be able to get a win. ... I've seen a lot of stuff over the years in NASCAR where people move people, and it's just part of our sport.”

Owner Richard Childress, Dillon's grandfather, expressed a similar sentiment. Childress was also asked about possible audio of Dillon being told to wreck another driver during the frantic finish.

“I didn’t hear him, and I was on the radio with him. We’ll see," Childress said. “If he did, he did a damn good job at it. He won the race.”

Hamlin finished second, followed by Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain. Dillon's victory was not good news for Wallace and the other drivers on the playoff bubble.

“Nice to walk out of here with a top-five finish,” Wallace said. "We have a long way to go. We just have to keep fighting. I guess you can dump somebody and right rear somebody and be OK. It’s funny how that works.”

Christopher Bell won the first stage, but he was later penalized for speeding on pit road and finished sixth. Daniel Suárez won the second stage.

Martin Truex Jr. was knocked from the race by engine trouble early in the final stage. He remains the top winless driver in the standings.

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AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing

FILE - Denny Hamlin is introduced before a NASCAR Cup Series race, Sunday, June 23, 2024, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, in Loudon, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

FILE - Joey Logan poses with the pole award in victory lane after earning the position for the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, April 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Larry Papke, File)

FILE - Austin Dillon during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race media day Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby isn't sure how much longer he's going to play hockey.

He remains certain, however, where he wants to do it.

The Pittsburgh Penguins star signed a two-year contract extension on Monday that runs through the 2026-27 season. The deal, which carries an average annual value of $8.7 million, would keep Crosby in Pittsburgh until nearly his 40th birthday.

The agreement came on the eve of Crosby's 20th training camp with the Penguins, who took him with the first overall pick in the 2005 draft. Crosby had been eligible to sign an extension on July 1. While talks dragged on longer than expected, Crosby said last week he was “pretty optimistic” about something getting done before the season began.

Crosby indicated the hold-up was merely his lack of clarity on how much longer he intends to play.

“Trying to project how you’re going to feel in a number of years, it’s hard,” Crosby said. “Just making sure that it’s something that made sense for both myself and the team.”

The 37-year-old Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup winner and two-time league MVP, didn't ask for a raise even though he remains one of the most productive players in the NHL. Crosby led the Penguins in goals (42), assists (52) and points (94) last season, well clear of the rest of an underachieving club that missed the playoffs for a second straight year.

“Sidney is the greatest player of his generation and one of the greatest players in the history of the game,” general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement. "His actions today show why he is one of hockey’s greatest winners and leaders. Sid is making a tremendous personal sacrifice in an effort to help the Penguins win, both now and in the future, as he has done for his entire career.”

Crosby's salary staying flat gives the Penguins a little more wiggle room as the NHL's oldest team tries to figure out a way to get back into contention.

Pittsburgh has missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons after making it 16 consecutive years between 2007 and 2022. Crosby said he received reassurances from Dubas during the negotiating process that the club remains committed to being competitive while trying to build a younger core around Crosby and longtime teammates Evgeni Malkin (38) and Kris Letang (37).

“There’s still hunger from the organization (and) ownership to win and a commitment," Crosby said. "From the time I’ve been here, that’s the case and that’s been there. That’s important.”

Dubas said Crosby's decision to stay at $8.7 million — a cap hit that ranks outside the top 40 in the NHL despite having perhaps the most accomplished resume of any active player — is symbolic of Crosby's commitment to helping Pittsburgh rebuild on the fly.

“His dedication to the Penguins through 2027 ensures that our franchise will have its captain as we go through this phase of our project,” Dubas said.

Crosby has played in more games (1,272) than any player in team history and trails only Mario Lemieux in every other major category, including goals (592, 2nd), assists (1,004, 2nd), and points (1,596, 2nd). Crosby will begin the 2024-25 season 10th all-time in league history in points. Last year he became just the second player ever to average at least a point a game in 19 seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky.

The Penguins open training camp on Wednesday and begin the regular season on Oct. 9 at home against the New York Rangers. Signing Crosby removes a significant potential distraction and lets Crosby focus on his game, which remains elite even as he finishes his second decade in the NHL.

“I feel good,” he said. "I still love the game and want to compete and I’m not going to project too far ahead, but I’m going to try and play as long as I can.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby looks on during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, April 17, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)