Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Austin Dillon

How Austin Dillon built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Austin Dillon is a prominent American stock car racing driver. He currently races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, piloting the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing (RCR). Notably, he is the grandson of Richard Childress, the owner of RCR, the brother of fellow NASCAR driver Ty Dillon, and the son of Mike Dillon, RCR's general manager. Dillon's family connection adds another layer to his profile within the NASCAR community.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

2002: No. 3 Returns to Major Series

In 2002, the No. 3 returned to one of the three major series when Dillon drove the No. 3 truck at Iowa Speedway, marking the first time since Dale Earnhardt Jr. used it in the Busch Series.

2008: Rookie of the Year

In 2008, Dillon was named Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Camping World East Series.

2009: Failed to Qualify at Talladega

During the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, Dillon was supposed to start the Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, but the truck failed inspection, and he failed to qualify for the race.

2010: Rookie of the Year

In 2010, Austin Dillon was awarded Rookie of the Year.

2010: Full-Time Truck Series Season

In 2010, Dillon drove the No. 3 truck full-time in the Truck Series, contending for Rookie of the Year with sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops.

October 9, 2011: First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Start

On October 9, 2011, Dillon made his first career start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway, finishing 26th in his No. 98 Camping World Curb/Agajanian Racing Chevrolet Impala.

November 4, 2011: Move to Nationwide Series Announced

On November 4, 2011, Richard Childress Racing announced that Dillon would move to the Nationwide Series in 2012, driving the No. 3 with sponsorship from AdvoCare, American Ethanol, and Bass Pro Shops.

2011: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion

In 2011, Austin Dillon became the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion.

2011: First Win of the Year

In 2011, Dillon scored his first win of the year at Nashville Superspeedway and also won at Chicagoland Speedway, and was crowned the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion. He also won the 2011 CWTS Most Popular Driver Award.

June 29, 2012: First Nationwide Series Win

On June 29, 2012, Dillon recorded his first Nationwide Series win at Kentucky Speedway, but the car failed post-race inspection due to rear ride heights being too low.

August 2012: Full-Time Nationwide Series for 2013

In August 2012, Dillon announced he would continue to drive full-time in the Nationwide Series for 2013, with Advocare as the primary sponsor for the full season, along with running seven Sprint Cup Series races that year.

August 2012: NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Race

In August 2012, Dillon participated in one race in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Circuit Gilles-Villeuneuve in Montreal, finishing seventh driving the No. 4 car for Fitzpatrick Motorsports.

2012: Rookie of the Year

In 2012, Austin Dillon was awarded Rookie of the Year.

2012: Limited Sprint Cup Series Starts

In 2012, Dillon competed in the Sprint Cup Series on a limited basis, starting at Michigan International Speedway in June, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, starting 21st and finishing 24th.

2012: Move to Nationwide Series

In 2012, Dillon moved up to the Nationwide Series full-time, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for RCR.

January 2013: Sprint Cup Races in Phoenix Racing's No. 51 Chevrolet

In January 2013, it was announced that some of Dillon's Sprint Cup races that season would be in Phoenix Racing's No. 51 Chevrolet.

August 2013: Substitute for Tony Stewart

In early August 2013, it was announced that Dillon would substitute for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet at Michigan due to Stewart's leg injury. He would also drive the car at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

November 16, 2013: NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship Win

On November 16, 2013, Dillon won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship with a twelfth-place finish in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, marking the first time in any of NASCAR's three national series that a season champion went winless.

December 11, 2013: Drive the No. 3 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

On December 11, 2013, RCR announced that Dillon would drive the No. 3 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Cheerios and Dow Chemical Company as the primary sponsors, marking the No. 3 car's first Sprint Cup appearance in thirteen years.

2013: NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion

In 2013, Austin Dillon won the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.

2014: Daytona 500 Pole Position

During 2014 Daytona 500 qualifying, Dillon clinched the pole position with a speed of 196.019 miles per hour, marking the fourth time that the No. 3 was on the pole for the Daytona 500.

2014: Top-Five Finish and Consistent Finishes

In 2014, Dillon rebounded with a top-five finish in the Coke Zero 400 and was one of only two drivers to finish every race. He finished second in the rookie of the year standings to Kyle Larson.

2015: Finished 21st in Sprint Cup Season Standings

Despite a disappointing season with only one top-five finish, Dillon managed to win four Xfinity races in 2015, finishing the Sprint Cup season in 21st place.

2015: Missed Playoffs

Dillon failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015 as he fell outside the top twenty in points. He finished 21st in the final points standings, tying his lowest in a full-time season with zero top-fives for the first time in his career.

2015: Up and Down Season

During the 2015 season, Dillon had one top-ten finish in the Cup Series, but two wins in the Xfinity series. Dillon flipped into the catch fence during the Coke Zero 400 on July 5th, resulting in minor injuries to Dillon and injuries to five fans.

2016: Part-Time Xfinity Series and Wins

In 2016, Dillon competed part-time in the Xfinity Series, winning races at Fontana and Bristol, and splitting the No. 2 of RCR with six other drivers.

2016: Advances to the Round of 12

In 2016, after finishing twelfth at the Bristol Night Race, Dillon advanced to the Round of 12 for the second time in his career. Dillon was later eliminated following the Charlotte Roval, finishing eleventh in the points standings that year.

2016: Xfinity Series Win

In the Xfinity Series, Dillon scored his one-hundredth career top-ten Xfinity Series finish at California. Dillon won the Xfinity race at Michigan in June after rain ended the race prematurely on lap 91. It was the first Xfinity Series win for Dillon since the August Bristol race in 2016, and the first for RCR's Xfinity team since 2016 at Road America with Michael McDowell.

2017: Season-Best Fifth Place Outing

When NASCAR returned to Martinsville for the first time in 2017, Dillon scored a season-best fifth place outing. At Texas, Dillon was unable to start the Cup race on the lead lap due to a broken track bar and finished 33rd.

2018: Daytona 500 Winner

In 2018, Austin Dillon won the Daytona 500.

October 28, 2019: Stockman Steps Down

On October 28, 2019, Stockman announced he would step down as the crew chief of the No. 3 team at the end of the 2019 season. Justin Alexander returned as the No. 3 team's crew chief in 2020 after having served that position in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

2019: Danny Stockman as Crew Chief

For 2019, Dillon began having Danny Stockman atop the pit box for the Cup Series. Stockman was Dillon's crew chief in the Truck Series and Nationwide Series when he won his NASCAR Championship titles in 2011 and 2013.

2020: First Top-Five Finish

In 2020, at Las Vegas, Dillon managed to score his first top-five finish of 2020 and first since the 2018 Consumers Energy 400, coming home fourth.

2020: Victory at Texas Motor Speedway

On July 19, 2020, Dillon broke an 88-race winless streak by claiming his 3rd career victory at the 2020 O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. RCR teammate Tyler Reddick finished second to secure an RCR 1–2 finish for the first time since the 2011 Good Sam Club 500.

2021: Joins RWR-Eurasia Motorsport for 24 Hours of Daytona

In 2021, Dillon joined RWR-Eurasia Motorsport for his 24 Hours of Daytona debut, sharing an LMP2 car with Cody Ware and Salih Yoluç.

2021: Wins Duel for Daytona 500 and Finishes Third in the Daytona 500

In 2021, Dillon won his Duel for the Daytona 500, passing Bubba Wallace on the final lap, enabling him to start fourth for the 500. Dillon led seven laps and finished third after avoiding a last-lap crash, assuming the points lead for the first time in his career.

October 28, 2022: Keith Rodden to Replace Crew Chief

On October 28, 2022, RCR announced that Keith Rodden would become Dillon's pit box crew chief starting in 2023. This occurred shortly after Alexander announced that he would be stepping down from the crew chief role on the No. 3 car.

2022: 2022 Season

During the 2022 season, Dillon started with a 25th place finish at the Daytona 500, and achieved three top-three finishes at Fontana, Martinsville, and Talladega. On March 27, Dillon recorded his first top-10 finish on a Cup Series road course race, finishing tenth at the Circuit of the Americas. He won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, clinching a playoff spot. Dillon was eliminated in the Round of 16 after a pileup at the Bristol night race. He scored consecutive top-ten finishes at the Charlotte Roval and Las Vegas, and a fourth-place finish at Homestead, finishing the season eleventh in points.

2022: Dillon to Run Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt

On April 8, 2022, Dillon revealed that he would run the Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway in a Young's Motorsports truck, driving the No. 20 truck for that race.

2022: General Manager of Carolina Cowboys

Since 2022, Dillon has been the general manager of the Carolina Cowboys, a Professional Bull Riders team.

2023: 2023 Season and Penalty

In 2023, Dillon began the season with a 33rd place DNF at the Daytona 500. After the Martinsville race, his No. 3 team was served an L1 penalty, after an unapproved underwing assembly was discovered. The team was docked points, Rodden was fined US$75,000 and suspended. Dillon finished 29th in the standings.

November 20, 2024: Richard Boswell new Crew Chief

On November 20, 2024, RCR signed Richard Boswell as the crew chief of the No. 3 car, replacing Alexander for the 2025 season.

2024: Controversial Win and Penalties

During the 2024 season, Alexander returned as crew chief at the Martinsville spring race. At the Richmond summer race, Dillon broke a 68-race winless streak after spinning out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, a move which drew criticism. NASCAR encumbered the win, docked Dillon 25 driver points, and stripped him of playoff eligibility. Following the Martinsville playoff race, Dillon was penalized for race manipulation and finished 32nd in the final standings.

2025: Wins Richmond Race

In 2025, Dillon started the season with a 23rd-place finish at the Daytona 500. He later scored three consecutive top-ten finishes at Bristol, Talladega, and Texas. After struggling throughout the season, Dillon won Richmond, this time without controversy, right before the playoffs started.