By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
At Richmond Raceway, it was all about heart and momentum for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Cup team at Richard Childress Racing.
At the road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it was heartbreak and disappointment after being sidelined on Lap 62 due to an accident.
“I was having a good run and the No. 37 (Chris Buescher), I went through (Turns) 3 and 4 and I knew I didn’t even make a mistake and I didn’t think that was how I was going to make a mistake. He flicked the wheel right in the middle of the corner, and when he did, I checked and smacked the outside wall and just couldn’t save it, there,” Dillon said.
“And, we fixed it. And I came back up through there and jumped the curb and I think that’s what cut my tire down going into (Turns) 3 and 4. I should have just been more patient and waited for more attrition to go out. But I actually felt pretty comfortable and running well. It’s just hard to hold back in a treacherous race, and I guess I didn’t do what we needed to do.”
Unfortunately, his shot at his first premier series championship has been put on hold for another year.
“It’s disappointing. We worked hard to make a push, and we made a push. It didn’t come back around our way. I am proud of the work that we put in for these three races. This doesn’t reflect how we were going to run right there,” he said.
Dillon finished in the 39th position.