During the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day, an anonymous poll revealed how strong drivers perceive their competitors. Conducted by Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, the poll was designed to find out which drivers competitors would least like to have on their side during a late-race restart. Among the 16 playoff drivers surveyed, Austin Dillon came under considerable criticism.

The survey results placed Dillon on the list of least favorite drivers, with two drivers specifically mentioning him. One driver stated:

“Given recent events, it would be Austin Dillon.”

And another added: “Austin Dillon. I can answer that very easily.”

Initially, Pockrass had considered splitting the question into two different sections: one to identify the drivers who are considered “too good” to ride alongside them, and the other to identify those who are considered “questionable”.

Ultimately, he decided on a single question and left it up to the drivers to interpret it.

One notable incident that influenced opinions occurred at the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, where Dillon was involved in a controversial overtime restart incident. During the final lap, Dillon intentionally collided with Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano to secure the win.

NASCAR then penalized Dillon by deciding that his conduct invalidated the win for participation in the Cup Series playoffs.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, justified the penalty by saying, as quoted by Yardbarker.com:

“I think with all due respect to the appeal process, we looked at the whole thing and everything that happened as we entered Turn 3 and as the cars reached the start/finish line.

“So when we looked at all that data, we came to the conclusion that a line had been crossed. Our sport has been based on good, hard racing for many, many years, since time immemorial. Physical contact was acceptable. We felt that in this case the line had been crossed.”

In response, Dillon defended his actions by comparing them to previous maneuvers by other well-known drivers.

“I saw Denny and Joey making moves that put everyone else on the track ahead and led them to victory. For me, this is the first chance to win in two years. I went in there and spun all four tires across the start/finish line.

“I’ve seen a lot over the years in NASCAR where people move people. It’s just part of our sport. You know what I mean? Remember when Joey said ‘short track racing.’ He knows what that was. What would you do in your position?”

Media Day takes place this weekend before the start of the Cup Series playoffs at Atlanta Motor Speedway.