April 26, 2022 | By Lee Spencer

Austin Dillon is leading the charge for RCR resurgence

Over the course of the last five races, Austin Dillon has recovered from 20th in the NASCAR Cup standings to 13th following his second-place finish at Talladega.

Dillon’s performances haven’t been necessarily sexy, but he has been able to capitalize on opportunities that have come his way.

Sunday’s runner-up finish to Ross Chastain was another example of the No. 3 team’s persistence.

"We came from eighth there on that last lap, just kind of rode the bottom and got people baited off the top,” Dillon said. “We had a good push there at the end. I think I was actually the one to push the one to the win. I gave him a good shove off of four and he kind of just drove away.

"I'm really proud of this No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy team,” Dillon said. “Second-place at Talladega is something to be proud of. We managed to stay out of the wrecks around us and run with the draft to stay up front. We came from eighth there on that last lap.”

Dillon has been more than lucky at Talladega in his last four starts. He has been very calculated in his execution. While his overall average at the 2.66-mile track is 18th, he’s lowered his average to 8.25 since the fall race of 2020.

Clearly, the style of racing suits the third-generation driver. His second career win came in the 2018 Daytona 500. But this season—his third with crew chief Justin Alexander and a year after missing the Playoffs—Dillon, who turns 32 on Tuesday, is finally achieving the consistency he’s lacked during the last eight years of his Cup career.

In the first 10 races of 2022, Dillon has posted three top-10 finishes—two more than he experienced last season. He is three top 10s away from tying last year’s mark with 26 races to go. His drive at Martinsville Speedway was remarkable. He came from starting 36th to 10th in the first 100 laps on a track where drivers claimed they couldn’t pass with the new car. Dillon did. By the end of the second stage (Lap 181), he was sixth. Over the course of the final 211 laps, Dillon delivered a podium finish.

Given his dirt background, it’s not surprising that Dillon was running in the top five at Bristol Motor Speedway prior to his engine expiring with 39 laps remaining in the race.

Certainly bringing Tyler Reddick into the fold provided Dillon with a younger and more naturally talented racer to compete against under the Richard Childress Racing roof. That’s not a scenario Dillon has had to contend with during his tenure with his grandfather’s team. He hasn’t had a fellow racer to measure himself against at RCR since Ryan Newman left in 2018 and Kevin Harvick before that.

The proof is in the numbers. RCR’s winless streak of 64 races dates back to Dillon’s win at Texas Motor Speedway in 2020. Reddick came close to ending the drought at Bristol Motor Speedway before Chase Briscoe wiped him out in the last corner of the last lap. Reddick appeared solid out of the gate at Talladega before his engine soured 31 laps into the contest.

Still, in the last two races, RCR has placed at least one driver on the podium. It’s just a matter of time.

“Our team has been really close to getting to Victory Lane a couple of times this season,” Dillon said. “Our win is definitely coming.”