By Cole Cusumano

Upon entering the NASCAR Cup Series as a full-time driver in 2014, things admittedly haven’t gone as planned for Austin Dillon.

From one he had been dealt the insurmountable task of proving his worth in the world-renowned No. 3 car for Richard Childress Racing. He followed his NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship run by being bested by Kyle Larson for Sunoco Rookie of the Year. Transitioning to the present, he only has two wins to his name, albeit a pair of the sport’s crown-jewel, it’s nothing worth bragging about through five years.

Now 30 years old, it appears Dillon may be finding his footing in 2020.

Following the Food City Supermarket Heroes 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway, the Team Chevy driver put on quite the display. Running seventh with just over 150 laps remaining, Dillon’s right-front tire went down, but he was able to coast his Camaro along the outside wall of the fishbowl-shaped track without succumbing to any damages. The end result was a sixth-place finish.

“We were pretty fast there at the end,” Dillon said. “Justin (Alexander, Crew Chief) made a great call to take tires with 38 laps to go and it showed up.”

The decision made by Alexander almost put the 2018 Daytona 500 winner in a prime position to win the race at Thunder Valley. Before the final caution came out with 10 laps to go, Dillon had been battling with eventual winner, Brad Keselowski, for the better portion of the last 30 laps.

This wasn’t the first time the driver of the No. 3 shared praise for his crew chief during his post-race comments. After picking up his first top-five finish in almost two years at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this season due to another bold pit call, Dillon harped on the return of Alexander as well.

Last year, Danny Stockman Jr. led the charge atop Dillon’s pit box in an attempt to rekindle some magic created in 2013 and 2011, when his driver won the Xfinity and NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Championships. This less than stellar experiment gone sour only triggered six top-10’s throughout 2019 — the eldest grandson of Richard Childress has already accomplished half of that through nine races with a top-five to boot.

Now a quarter of the way through the season, Dillon is riding two consecutive top-10 streak and is currently clinging on to the final transfer spot of the Playoffs. He even picked up stage points in every applicable heat at both races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Call it the work of the crew chief or Chevrolet’s improved performance this season; regardless, the progression is showing.

“We’re close, we’re getting there,” Dillon said. “Love how these races are playing out. Getting closer and closer! Thanks for all the support – next week is Atlanta!”

The Georgia-based track will prove to be the ultimate challenge to the No. 3 team’s success in 2020. Dillon posts an average finish of 22.9 at the 1.5-mile track and his best result of 11th came all the way back in 2016.

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