On the heels of his fourth top-10 finish of the year last weekend at Kansas Speedway, Sunoco rookie candidate Austin Dillon posted the second-fastest time in opening Sprint Cup Series practice Thursday afternoon at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
In a sport where momentum is everything, the practice effort was not only important, but encouraging.
The driver of the No. 3 DOW Chevrolet SS is looking for his first top-five finish of the season at a non-restrictor plate track. Two of Dillon’s four top-10 finishes this season have occurred at restrictor plate races, including a career-best fifth at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in July.
An eighth place finish in last Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 is Dillon’s best run since a 10th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, but there’s a recurring theme. The defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion has strong performances on the 1.5-mile tracks this year.
“I think our team has some pretty good momentum right now,” said Dillon. “Kansas Speedway is much smoother than Charlotte Motor Speedway, and we use different tires than we will be using at Charlotte. I think, as a team, we do a good job of transferring information over from one track to another. I’m excited for the race, I had fun racing there in May.”
In his Coca-Cola 600 debut, Dillon finished a respectable 16th, a string of five consecutive top-20 finishes for the Richard Childress Racing team entering the summer stretch.
For some, it’s not surprising to see Dillon, the son of former NASCAR racer Mike Dillon quick in his backyard. Statistically, Charlotte has not been a bad place for the 24-year old.
In four starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Dillon recorded one pole, one top-five and two top-10s and finished no worse than 14th. The Lewisville, North Carolina native also has three starts in trucks, including a seventh place finish in May.
Four months later from the longest race of his career, Dillon seems more confident in these Sprint Cup Series cars, where contending for a win on a non-restrictor plate track could seem like a blast from the past.
Editor’s Note: Austin Dillon qualified 20th for Saturday’s night Bank of America 500.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
