Austin Dillon knows what works for him when he competes in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway. While speaking to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dillon explained how he has been able to win at Richmond in back-to-back years.
āI think it started years ago, truthfully, in the old car,ā Austin Dillon said. āI should have won a race there in the old car, and I sped on pit road, ended up coming all the way back to sixth. I feel like I have a unique line there.ā
Dillon continued: āI feel like the lower I can be, it just helps me from a drive standpoint. Iām glad that no one really is aggressive down there where Iām at. I just kind of stay down there and do my own thing. I donāt try and change my style. I just stick to it, and I feel like by the end of the race, it kind of comes to me as rubber lays down.ā
Austin Dillon says Richmond is a āvery confusing trackā
Dillon admitted that Richmond wasnāt always kind to him. āItās a very confusing track,ā he said. āIt was my worst track when I first started racing in Xfinity Series. I was like, I donāt know what to do here. We went to a test a while back, and I kind of found a rhythm and a line that I liked, and I just started building around that. It turned into one of my better tracks, and I just feel comfortable with what Iām going to do going there.ā
When Dillon won the Richmond race last year, NASCAR penalized him for aggressive driving, and he was not allowed to compete in the playoffs. There was no controversy for Dillon this year, and he will compete in the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 season.
Dillon has won six NASCAR Cup Series races in 433 starts. Along with the Richmond win this past weekend, the 35-year-old won the Daytona 500 in 2018 and the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017. Dillon has been driving full-time for Richard Childress Racing since 2014. He drives the No. 3 car, which was also driven by Dale Earnhardt Sr. when he was with Richard Childress Racing.
