History of Austin Dillon in Timeline

Austin Dillon is a prominent American stock car racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet ZL1, and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet SS for Richard Childress Racing. He is the grandson of Richard Childress, the team owner of RCR, the brother of Ty Dillon, who also competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the son of Mike Dillon, a former racer and the current general manager of RCR.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

April 27, 1990: Austin Dillon Born

On April 27, 1990, Austin Reed Dillon was born. He is an American professional stock car racing driver.

Others born on this day/year

October 15, 2000: Dale Earnhardt wins at Talladega

On October 15, 2000, Dale Earnhardt won at Talladega, which was the last win for a No. 3 car in Cup until Dillon's win in 2017.

2000: Bryan Reffner Wins

In 2000, Bryan Reffner won for Team Menard at Texas Motor Speedway, marking the first time since then that the No. 3 wearing truck won a Truck Series race, prior to Austin Dillon's victory.

2002: Little League World Series

In 2002, Austin Dillon played in the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

2002: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Used No. 3 in the Busch Series

In 2002, Dale Earnhardt Jr. used the No. 3 in the Busch Series, which was the first time the number had appeared in any of the three major series.

2008: 2008 Rookie of the Year

In 2008, Austin Dillon was named Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Camping World East Series, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet and securing one win, one pole, and ten top-ten finishes.

2009: Failed to Qualify for Mountain Dew 250

In 2009, Dillon was slated to start the Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway; however, his truck failed inspection, preventing him from qualifying for the race.

2010: Full-Time Driver for Rookie of the Year

In 2010, Austin Dillon drove the No. 3 truck full-time for Rookie of the Year, sponsored by Bass Pro Shops.

2010: Rookie of the Year

In 2010, Austin Dillon won the Rookie of the Year award in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

October 9, 2011: First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Start

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

November 4, 2011: Richard Childress Racing Announces Dillon to Nationwide Series

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

2011: Wins and Championship

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

2011: 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion

In 2011, Austin Dillon was crowned the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and won the Rookie of the Year award.

2011: Danny Stockman Crew Chief for NASCAR Championship

In 2011, Danny Stockman was Austin Dillon's crew chief when he won his NASCAR Championship.

2011: First RCR 1-2 Finish

In 2020, Austin Dillon's O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 win marked the first RCR 1-2 finish since the 2011 Good Sam Club 500.

June 29, 2012: First Nationwide Series Win Disqualified

On June 29, 2012, Austin Dillon secured his first Nationwide Series win at Kentucky Speedway, leading nearly the entire race, but the car failed post-race inspection due to low rear ride heights, leading to disqualification.

August 2012: Announces Full-Time Nationwide Series for 2013

In August 2012, Austin Dillon announced that he would continue to drive full-time in the Nationwide Series for 2013, with Advocare as the primary sponsor for the full season.

August 2012: Competed in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series

In August 2012, Austin Dillon participated in one race in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Circuit Gilles-Villeuneuve in Montreal, finishing 7th driving the No. 4 car for Fitzpatrick Motorsports.

2012: Moved to Nationwide Series Full-Time

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

2012: Limited Sprint Cup Series Participation

In 2012, Austin Dillon participated 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 and finishing 24th.

2012: Rookie of the Year

In 2012, Austin Dillon won the Rookie of the Year award in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

January 2013: Sprint Cup Races with Phoenix Racing

In January 2013, it was announced that some of Austin 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, Austin Dillon substituted for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet at Michigan due to Stewart's leg injury; Dillon also drove the car at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

November 16, 2013: NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship Win

On November 16, 2013, Austin Dillon secured the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship despite finishing 12th in the season finale, marking the first time a champion went winless in any of NASCAR's three national series.

December 11, 2013: Dillon to Drive No. 3 Chevrolet in Sprint Cup

On December 11, 2013, RCR announced that Austin Dillon would drive the No. 3 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, sponsored by Cheerios and Dow Chemical Company. This marked the No. 3 car's first Sprint Cup appearance in 13 years.

2013: 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion

In 2013, Austin Dillon became the NASCAR Nationwide Series champion.

2013: Danny Stockman Crew Chief for NASCAR Championship

In 2013, Danny Stockman was Austin Dillon's crew chief when he won his NASCAR Championship.

2014: Top-Five Finish in Coke Zero 400

After a series of poor finishes, Austin Dillon rebounded with a top-five finish in the 2014 Coke Zero 400. He was also one of only two drivers to finish every race and ended the 2014 Cup season second in the rookie of the year standings to Kyle Larson.

2014: Daytona 500 Pole Position

During the 2014 Daytona 500 qualifying, Austin Dillon secured the pole position with a speed of 196.019 miles per hour (315.462 km/h), marking the fourth time the No. 3 was on the pole for the Daytona 500.

2015: Sprint Cup Season Standing 21st Place

After a disappointing season, with only 1 top 5 and 5 top 10 finishes, Austin Dillon closed out the 2015 Sprint Cup season standings in 21st place. Despite running a part-time schedule, Dillon won 4 Xfinity races.

2015: Fails to Make Playoffs

In 2015, Austin Dillon failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015 as he fell outside the top twenty in points.

2015: Xfinity Series Wins and Daytona Crash

In 2015, Austin Dillon had an up-and-down season. He struggled in the Cup Series but scored two Xfinity Series wins. In the Coke Zero 400 on July 5, he was involved in a severe crash, flipping into the catch fence at about 190 miles per hour, though he emerged with only minor injuries.

August 9, 2016: Engagement to Whitney Ward

On August 9, 2016, Austin Dillon became engaged to Whitney Ward, a former NFL cheerleader.

2016: Xfinity Series Success

In 2016, Austin Dillon secured his 100th career top-10 Xfinity Series finish at California and won the Xfinity race at Michigan after rain ended the race prematurely. He also drove the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing at Indianapolis.

2016: Advanced to the Round of 12

In 2016, after finishing 12th at the Bristol Night Race, Austin Dillon advanced to the Round of 12 for the second time in his career, since 2016, but was later eliminated following the Charlotte Roval. He finished 11th in the points standings for the year.

2016: Xfinity Series Win in Fontana

In 2016, during the Xfinity race in Fontana, Austin Dillon, competing part-time in the Xfinity Series, battled with Kyle Busch on the final lap, making contact and hitting the turn four wall but managing to secure the win.

December 9, 2017: Marriage to Whitney Ward

On December 9, 2017, Austin Dillon and Whitney Ward were married at Childress Vineyards in Lexington, North Carolina.

2017: Martinsville 5th Place Outing

In 2017 at Martinsville, Dillon scored a season-best 5th place outing, which was his first top-5 and top-10 finish of the season. At Texas, a broken track bar resulted in an 11 lap deficit at the start, finishing 33rd.

2017: Justin Alexander Previous Crew Chief

In 2017, Justin Alexander was the No. 3 team's crew chief before returning again in 2020.

2018: Wins 2018 Daytona 500

In 2018, Austin Dillon won the Daytona 500, marking the return of the No. 3 to Victory Lane in the Cup Series. The win came 20 years after Dale Earnhardt's only Daytona 500 win and 17 years to the day of Earnhardt's death.

2018: Justin Alexander Previous Crew Chief

In 2018, Justin Alexander was the No. 3 team's crew chief before returning again in 2020.

2018: Previous Finish at Consumers Energy 400

The 2020, top-five finish was Austin Dillon's first since the 2018 Consumers Energy 400.

October 28, 2019: Stockman to Step Down

On October 28, 2019, Danny Stockman announced he would step down as the crew chief of the No. 3 team at the end of the 2019 season.

December 2019: Filming for SEAL Team

In December 2019, Austin Dillon filmed a guest appearance in the television series SEAL Team's Season 3, Episode 14 "Objects in Mirror" at Auto Club Speedway, portraying a NASCAR driving instructor.

2019: Cameo in the movie Stuber

In 2019, Austin Dillon made a cameo in the movie Stuber alongside his brother Ty and fellow driver Daniel Suárez.

2019: Danny Stockman Joins Cup Series

In 2019, Danny Stockman became Austin Dillon's crew chief 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.

March 11, 2020: SEAL Team Episode Premiere

On March 11, 2020, the SEAL Team's Season 3, Episode 14 "Objects in Mirror", in which Austin Dillon guest starred as a NASCAR driving instructor, premiered. Filming took place at Auto Club Speedway in December 2019.

June 14, 2020: Birth of Son

On June 14, 2020, Austin Dillon and Whitney Ward welcomed their son.

2020: First Top-Five Finish

In 2020, Austin Dillon scored his first top-five finish of the year at Las Vegas, coming home fourth.

2020: Justin Alexander Returns

In 2020, Justin Alexander returned as the No. 3 team's crew chief after having served that position in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

2020: O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Win

On July 19, 2020, Austin Dillon ended an 88-race winless streak by winning the 2020 O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, with teammate Tyler Reddick finishing second. This marked the first RCR 1-2 finish since 2011.

2021: 24 Hours of Daytona Debut

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

2021: Cameo in The Crew

In 2021, Austin Dillon made a cameo appearance in The Crew, a NASCAR-centric Netflix series, alongside Ryan Blaney and Cole Custer.

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2021: Win in Duel for Daytona 500 and Points Lead

In 2021, Austin Dillon won his Duel for the Daytona 500 by passing Bubba Wallace on the final lap, enabling him to start fourth for the 500. Dillon led 7 laps and finished in 3rd place after avoiding a last-lap crash, assuming the points lead for the first time in his career.

2021: Carstin "Ace" Dillon Die-Cast Car Release

In 2021, a die-cast anthropomorphic race car named Carstin "Ace" Dillon, inspired by Austin Dillon, was released in the Disney/Pixar Cars toyline, alongside die-cast cars based on William Byron and Chase Elliot.

October 28, 2022: Keith Rodden to crew chief for Dillon in 2023

On October 28, 2022, RCR announced that Keith Rodden would be the pit box crew chief for Austin Dillon starting in 2023, after Alexander stepped down.

2022: Coke Zero Sugar 400 Win and Playoff Berth

In 2022, Austin Dillon won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, securing a spot in the playoffs. He took the lead after a significant wreck on lap 138. Dillon was eliminated in the Round of 16 and finished the season 11th in points.

2022: Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway

On April 8, 2022, Austin 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 due to Kaz Grala's schedule.

2023: L1 Penalty and Poor Finishes

In 2023, Austin Dillon's No. 3 team received an L1 penalty following the Martinsville race for an unapproved underwing assembly, resulting in point deductions, a fine and suspension for Rodden. Dillon ended the 2023 season 29th in the standings.

November 20, 2024: Richard Boswell named crew chief for 2025

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, Austin Dillon broke a 68-race winless drought at the Richmond summer race but faced criticism for spinning out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. NASCAR encumbered the win, docked Dillon points, and stripped him of playoff eligibility. Later, following the Martinsville playoff race, Dillon was penalized for race manipulation and finished the season 32nd, the lowest of his career.

2024: All-Plastic Version of Carstin Released

In 2024, an all-plastic version of Carstin "Ace" Dillon was released as a pack-in for the Race Lane Change playset.

2025: Top-10 Finishes

In 2025, Austin Dillon started the season with a 23rd place finish at the Daytona 500. Later, he scored three consecutive top-10 finishes at Bristol, Talladega, and Texas.