Austin
Dillon

Austin Dillon is the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing and is currently competing in his 11th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. Dillon, 33, is a two-time NASCAR champion, having won the 2011 NASCAR Truck Series driver’s championship and the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver’s championship. He has won four points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races, including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 in 2017 and the Daytona 500 in 2018. Dillon is a 20-time winner in NASCAR’s top-three touring series and has qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs five times.

Although the 2023 race season was mired by a large points penalty that relegated the No 3 team to a 29th-place finish in the final point standings, there were several highlights to the year, including a second-place finish at the non-points-paying LA Clash at the Coliseum, a third-place finish on Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track configuration and seven top-10 finishes. 2023 also marked the year the Dillon family welcomed their daughter, Blaize Austin Dillon, to the family, joining big brother Ace RC Dillon.

Dillon’s most recent win came in August 2022 at Daytona International Speedway when he won the last race of the regular season to clinch the final spot in the NASCAR Playoffs. He earned a career-best five top-five finishes, 11 top-10 finishes, and ultimately finished the season 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, tying his best post-season performance (2020, 2017).

Dillon narrowly missed making the NASCAR Playoffs in 2021 despite one of the most consistent seasons in his NASCAR Cup Series career that included one top-five finish, eight top-10s and an average finishing position of 14.4. He also won his Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona race to kick off the season.

In 2020, Dillon earned a race win at Texas Motor Speedway to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the fourth time in his career. Despite missing a race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course due to COVID-19, he earned four top-five and nine top-10 finishes, leading 135 laps over the course of the season, the most of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Ultimately, Dillon finished the season 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings.

Dillon’s 2019 season was highlighted by three pole awards, bringing his career NASCAR Cup series pole award total to six. He also led a total of 70 laps. The Welcome, North Carolina driver earned three consecutive NASCAR Playoff berths from 2018 through 2016 in a three-season stint that included winning the prestigious Daytona 500 with a last-lap pass (2018), earning his career-first NASCAR Cup Series victory in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway over Memorial Day Weekend (2017) and completing a solid 97.65 percent of his laps attempted – seventh-best in the series – while earning pole awards at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California and Texas Motor Speedway (2016).

The 2015 NASCAR Cup Series season included a crew chief change 17 races into the books, but Dillon managed to finish the final 19 races with six top-10 starts and four top-10 finishes, earning a 21st-place showing in the final point standings.

In 2014, Dillon’s first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series started with much fanfare, as he returned the legendary No. 3 Chevrolet to NASCAR Cup Series competition for the first time since Dale Earnhardt’s death in 2001, sitting on the pole for the Daytona 500 in the first race of the year. He joined Jeff Gordon as one of just two drivers who finished every race.

Dillon made 11 NASCAR Cup Series starts in 2013, concurrent with a championship-winning season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and one start in 2012. He made his NASCAR Cup Series debut driving for Mike Curb at Kansas Speedway in the Fall of 2011.

During two full-time seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Dillon earned the championship in 2013 and set the record for most consecutive poles in series history. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2012 and finished third in the driver point standings on the heels of back-to-back wins at Kentucky Speedway. He remains passionate and active in the series, notably earning a race win at Michigan International Speedway in 2018 and participating in 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races for RCR in 2016 and earning two victories (Auto Club Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway in the Fall). He also earned four victories in 2015 (Las Vegas, Charlotte – 1, Daytona – 2 and Texas – 2). Dillon competed in one Xfinity Series race in 2010, driving the No. 21 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Dillon made his Xfinity Series debut at Richmond International Raceway in September 2008 and followed that up with a fourth-place finish at Memphis Motorsports Park in October 2008. He is a nine-time winner in the series.

Dillon raced fulltime in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2011 and 2010. He earned race wins at Nashville Superspeedway and Chicagoland Speedway enroute to becoming the 2011 NASCAR Truck Series Champion and holds the designation of youngest champion in series history. He was voted the Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver by fans in 2011. In his rookie season of NASCAR Truck Series competition in 2010, Dillon earned Rookie of the Year honors and finished fifth in the driver’s point standings, becoming only the second rookie to do so in nine seasons. He earned his career-first NASCAR national series win in the Truck Series at Iowa Speedway in June 2010, and also won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway his rookie season. He continues to make select starts in the NASCAR Truck Series, notably winning the 500th NASCAR Truck Series’ race in 2015. In 2013, he won the NASCAR Truck Series inaugural Midsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway to become the first driver to win a NASCAR national series race on dirt since Richard Petty in 1970. In total, he is a seven-time Truck Series winner.

Dillon drove in five different stock car series as an RCR development driver in 2009, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Truck Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, where he scored two runner-up finishes.

He earned Rookie of the Year honors and finished second in the 2008 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East final point standings.

Dillon is passionate about Dirt Late Model racing and honed his skills on short tracks across the country early in his career, making his first Dirt Late Model start in 2006. He has won the prestigious All-Star Showdown at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway twice (2009 and 2007), and includes his All-Star Showdown win among three total Dirt Late Model victories he earned in 2007. He has also competed in asphalt late models. He still considers dirt track racing among his favorite hobbies and competes on a semi-regular basis as his schedule allows.

Dillon began his racing career in INEX Bandaleros and Legend Cars in 2005.

Before he began his racing career, Dillon played stick-and-ball sports and appeared in the 2002 Little League World Series. He is currently enshrined in the Little League Hall of Excellence.

Outside of racing, Dillon stars in Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane on USA Network, a family-friendly reality show focused on Dillon, his family and friends. He is also the general manager of the Carolina Cowboys, a professional bullriding team in the PBR Teams Series.