Tag Archives: Austin Dillon

Smith Wins in First Start with JRM, Stenhouse Repeats as Champion

Posted on November 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

There are those moments in racing that get your heart thumping. They usually involve scrunched sheet metal, smashed cars, and crushed hopes. Tight battles and hard racing.

Those last ten laps in the Nationwide championship race got me going just like that.

It wasn’t solely the fact that Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was in a squirrelly situation, what with being surrounded by the two other contenders of Elliott Sadler and Austin Dillon. The other part was that his car was loose. Wrecking loose. He was sawing on that wheel like crazy. You didn’t know if he would be able to hold onto it or not.

Earlier in the race, Stenhouse’s spotter Mike Calinoff kept telling the driver to keep it off the wall, to which Ricky replied, “I know . . . I don’t need you to repeat it.”

Oooh. Salty.

Aside from the few cautions we received, the championship race drew most of our attention. The single moment that broke my heart? When Sadler’s crew missed a lugnut. You could hear the collective intake of breath from fans everywhere, as if we had all been punched in the gut. Add that to the other mishaps that plagued the #2 team -like the restart fiasco at Indy and the wreck last week in Phoenix- and it’s just sad.

Sadler recovered to get a great finish, but it wasn’t enough. He ended up twenty-three points behind Stenhouse. Austin Dillon impressed and contended for the win, yet, similarly, he came up short.

This is Stenhouse’s second straight championship, the success worlds apart from his fruitless Rookie season back in 2010. Who would’ve thought the driver Jack Roush forced to sit out a few races back then would be the current two-time champion? Ricky proves how things in this sport can change drastically if you keep pushing and trying. Not only that, it’s inspirational for anyone who needs a bit of help during a tough point in their life.

As for the race winner, it was Regan Smith, trying out the #5 JR Motorsports Chevy to get a head start on next season. He will run full time for the team in 2013, and his win proved he would be a force to be reckoned with for the championship. His crew chief, in his Nationwide series debut, was Steve Letarte, and the crew? Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s posse. Great momentum to build off of for next season.

The Nationwide series has come to a close, but fear not; next season will be just as exciting and just as nerve-racking.

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Posted in NASCAR, NASCAR Nationwide Series

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Dillon Sweeps Kentucky, Points Shake Up

Posted on September 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

After the Trucks race the night before, the afternoon Nationwide event at Kentucky was a bit of a let down, not following up with a wreck-fest.

More so, the excitement came from the points standings.

I noticed a tweet on Twitter that stood out to me. The tweeter mentioned that, even if there were four drivers mathematically eligible for the NNS championship at this point, this was a two-horse race between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Elliott Sadler. Why this bothered me, I wasn’t really sure, but it seemed very narrow-minded. I thought it would be shaken up today, someway, somehow.

Two cautions flew for small incidents, so things went fairly smooth before the competition caution at lap 30. Coming down pit road, everyone was antsy.

As Stenhouse shot from his pit, the #14 of Eric McClure was coming in. McClure pinched Ricky, slamming him in the side. The #6 backed up to get repairs under the yellow. He had to start at the tail-end of the lead lap.

Fast forward to after the restart, Stenhouse was attempting to make up as many spot as he could. Now, from my point of view, he was driving a bit crazily, very urgently. I understand why, but there was a lot of time to make those spots up. Anyway, he overdrove it, snapped loose, and hit the wall.

So, for the rest of the race, Stenhouse tried to regain as many points as he could, but he ended up finishing 17th, three laps down.

Meanwhile, Elliott Sadler was one of the best cars out there. He was driving away towards the win when he had trouble with his power steering. As much as it bothered the driver, he dealt with it and was still fast. When the final caution came out, however, Sadler came down pit road after crew chief Luke Lambert called it. The team put two tires on, and he restarted in the top ten.

He couldn’t make up all those spots, however. At the end of the day, he finished fifth.

So who won? Austin Dillon’s car wasn’t as dialed in as Sadler’s, but he was still fast. As soon as that RCR machine breathed cleaned air, it was gone. Dillon swept Kentucky, the first time since Joey Logano did it in 2009. This win was a birthday present to Pop Pop Childress, who celebrated his birthday yesterday.

Also, Sam Hornish Jr., who is also in a position to capture that championship, had a solid day and finished second.

Now, here are the points after Kentucky (the first four positions):

Elliot Sadler (leader)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-4)
Austin Dillon (-19)
Sam Hornish Jr. (-46)

So, confident tweeter whose handle I forget, is it a two-horse race still?

I don’t think so. These next few races will show us who’s ready to rise to the top.

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Dillon Dominates Kentucky

Posted on June 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

In the best way you can win a race, Austin Dillon lead 192 of 200 laps at Kentucky Speedway and captured the checkered flag Friday night.

“This was domination,” he stated in Victory Lane. “This is awesome!”

Nobody questioned if Dillon could win, but when. That question has finally been answered. His car was stout the whole race, but he said the last adjustment just made the car take off.

The win was eerie because of the black pain scheme and that #3. Many fans were ecstatic to see that famous number covered in victory champagne and confetti once again. Chocolate Myers, the famous gasman for Dale Earnhardt Sr., summed it up perfectly with his tweet:

“3 forever. Forever 3.”

Coming in second was Kurt Busch, whose engine began to drop a cylinder with 5 to go. Bringing the car home after a hard fought finish, Busch stated, “It just started to make a different noise.”

Busch was running for his younger brother Kyle’s team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, being the first Busch to ‘bring it home without a scratch,’ they joked. Despite his recent troubles, Kurt has began to rise up again, happy with his finish.

The #3 was in a different zip code, as it use to be when it was wheeled by The Intimidator. There is no doubt the Dillon is the real deal, and it’s great to see a rookie rise to the top.

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#QforK: Ranting, Road Courses, and More Ranting!

Posted on June 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Well, to open up this Questions for Kristen, I will rant a little bit. Bare with me.

One of my pet peeves is when someone thinks they know everything. I don’t care what your prior race history or background is, I highly doubt you know all there is to know about NASCAR. You aren’t special, especially if you try to predict The Chase 13 races in advance.

I recently watched this on NASCAR Now, and it was pointless. Look at what has happened in the first half of the regular season? Drivers have come back from adversity, and they’ve dug themselves into a deeper hole. Anything can happen this year.

Don’t try to tell me who’s not going to make The Chase when they can barely predict if it’s going to rain or not. As our sport grows and changes, it’s hard to keep up with the times.

Let whatever happens happen. That’s what I love about NASCAR, its unpredictability. It’s like gambling. (But I’m too young to gamble, so . . .)

Anyway, I’ll step off my soapbox and answer your questions now.

Do you think the Cup series should add another road course race? If so, where, and should one be in The Chase? -@folyzbear16

I do think the Cup series should add another road course. Why not, right? Personally, I love road course races; it’s much different than the ‘Go Left, Only Left’ mentality we watch every weekend. Montreal comes to mind, and so does Road America. As for in The Chase? There should be one. A champion should be diverse and talented on all levels.

But, I’m a writer. I don’t make the rules.

You think Jeff Gordon will have a crew chief change soon? -@scottaltimaman

Jeff Gordon’s luck isn’t a crew chief issue, it’s an issue with the entire #24 team. My solution? Get the team together and talk. Hell, get some notes from the #5 crew. They need to turn this season around as soon as possible, but a mid-season crew chief change probably isn’t going to help.

Bristol is working with local hotels to help fans. Do you see this becoming a trend or a one time thing? -@Millahlite2

This needs to become a tread. Fans can’t spend $300 per night on a hotel room on top of race tickets. What Bristol is doing is something I’ve touched on before, and I’m glad they’ve stepped up. I know the owners of other race tracks aren’t stupid, so they’ll most likely follow suit and make a race package deal.

Who do you think will get a full-time Cup ride first, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. or Austin Dillon? -@kevin_vanpelt10

Stenhouse or Dillon. Hmm.

This is quite a tough one, but I’m going with Austin. Pop Pop has the money to do so. I don’t see Roush doing anything but focusing on his Cup team right now, which breaks my heart; he has two young talents, Stenhouse and Bayne, just waiting for an opportunity. I wish he’d help them more, but you gotta go where the money is, I guess.

Both are talented beyond belief, but it’ll be Dillon.

How’s your writing career going? -@abullins

Things are definitely speeding up since the summer began. I’m now a writer for Speedway Media, which I just started. I’m also the first NASCAR writer over at Independent Sport News.

The craziest thing is going to happen this Monday, the 18th. The local newspaper, The Mansfield News Journal, has asked to interview me for a story. Mansfield is a decent-sized city I live on the outskirts of, and I’m really excited for this.

Awesome stuff is happening, one day at a time, but it’s happening! I’m just chipping away and trying my hardest. I’ll post the link over here when the interview is up!

Catch you guys later, and enjoy the race weekend! :)

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Highlights Of The Drive4COPD 300: A Season Opener To Remember

Posted on February 25, 2012 | 2 Comments

When the green flag waved to start the Drive4COPD 300, many expected it to be crazy since it is Daytona, but few predicted a first-time winner and carnage that took out all the heavy hitters. With every race recap, I will profile the winner, the pole sitter, and another notable story, so here we go:

In a cloud of smoke, James Buescher dove below the yellow line to avoid a last lap crash that brought out the caution. This made the driver of the #30 for Turner Motorsports a first time winner this afternoon. Before the wreck, Buescher was running eleventh, yet fate had another finishing position in mind for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series full-timer. This may have been the highlight of the season opener, preparing us for a NASCAR Nationwide Series full of surprises and excitement. Congrats to James, and I hope he has continued success in his racing career.

At the beginning of the race, all eyes were on Danica Patrick, the first woman to sit on the pole since Shawna Robinson in 1994 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It is no secret that she had brought much attention to NASCAR as a whole, and many people were probably watching today’s race as racing newbies. It has an effect on the sport. Unfortunately, all that hype didn’t soften the hit to the wall she took on lap 49. Teammate Cole Whitt was attempting to draft with her but loosened her up instead. As a result, Patrick hit the wall, and she blew up on the radio. It wasn’t the performance she wanted to deliver, that’s for sure. We’ll see how she does at Phoenix next week, and then we can predict where she’ll end up at the end of the season.

Another big story was Austin Dillon, the grandson of Richard Childress and the 2011 NCWTS champion, stepping up into the sport’s second-tier series. He had the historical #3 on the side of his Richard Childress Racing car today, and it helped him escape some of the day’s wrecks. He survived the mess that happened at the end, claiming fifth. Dillon, along with his younger brother Ty, grew up watching Dale Earnhardt Sr. make his mark in the history books with an intimidating driving style and unmistakable swagger. There is no doubt that Austin learned from one of the best, and he used the pointers to his advantage last year. It was obvious today that he knows what he’s doing, and he will continue to impress.

The beginning of the NASCAR season is two-thirds of the way over, and the last leg is The Great American Race. The Nationwide segment of the weekend showed us that tomorrow’s outcome is basically impossible to predict, but it was one heck of a way to start a season.

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Posted in NASCAR Nationwide Series

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