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NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
DILLON: Firsts
DRIVER DIARY: My off-season has been jam-packed and busier than I could ever have imagined heading into my rookie year in the NASCAR Truck Series...
Austin Dillon  | http://www.teamdillonracing.com/  |  Posted February 01, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Austin Dillon continues to flex his muscle at Darlington. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
You often hear that your college days will be the best of your life and from what I’ve seen so far, I have to agree. But my fondness for my post-high school experience doesn’t have as much to do with the classroom as it does with the race track.

I’m 19 years old and started college at High Point University last fall. I’m also starting my rookie season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series behind the wheel of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Silverado for Richard Childress Racing.

Just as the guys on my team have put countless off-season hours into being ready when we roll into Daytona next week, my off-season has been jam-packed and busier than I could ever have imagined. But I’ve gotten to do some really cool things along the way.

I flew to Orlando and shot a Truck Series commercial with NASCAR and SPEED a couple of weeks ago. I’d seen my grandfather, Richard Childress, shoot his share of commercials, but I’d never done one myself and didn’t know quite what to expect. We filmed it at Universal Studios inside a studio that was pitch black and had three huge screen TVs. I spent two or three hours reading one-liners in my “acting” debut and had a lot of fun.

I also made my first sponsor announcement in the Truck Series when we unveiled the black No. 3 Chevy truck and its Bass Pro Shops paint scheme on national television on NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED. We followed that up by unveiling it to the rest of the media at the annual Media Tour organized by Charlotte Motor Speedway.

But then it was back to class and the real world. Being a college student and a fulltime NASCAR driver presents several challenges because both things keep me really busy. I miss out on time at the race shop talking to the guys and working on the trucks, but I wouldn’t trade my opportunities for anything. January and February should be the most hectic months with the sponsor announcement, commercial, preseason media obligations and Daytona preparations, all on top of keeping my nose in the books. But after the season kicks off and we settle into a routine, the Truck Series schedule spaces out and we have some weekends off, which should make this adventure much more manageable. I’ve worked out my schedule where I don’t have class on Fridays, so I won’t be missing any school once we get going.

However, I am going to miss a few sessions while in Daytona for these two weeks, but High Point University has been very accommodating with my situation and I will be keeping up with class online for a few days. If it weren’t for their flexibility, racing while earning a college degree would be impossible.

In fact, I’m already in Daytona - a week earlier than most of my fellow Truck Series competitors - because I’m running my Modified down the road at Volusia Speedway Park the next few days. Despite how much I’m looking forward to my rookie year in the Truck Series and competing at the World Center of Racing, I’m most in my element inside my black No. 3 Chevrolet dirt car. Steering it to Victory Lane for the first time a couple of years ago was one of the best nights of my life because not only did I take a huge step in my career, I gave my grandfather something very special. Putting the black No. 3 back in Victory Lane was a very emotional accomplishment I was able to share with him and one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

I have learned so much from observing my grandfather run RCR and my father, Mike Dillon, compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series when I was younger. I remember watching my father drive the car and fulfill his media obligations, and it’s come full circle for our family now that I’m on the track and in front of the media. It’s an awesome time in my life but also a humbling one.

There is no doubt this year will test me beyond anything else I’ve ever done. The Truck Series features some of the best racing in all of motorsports and some of the toughest and most competitive drivers. But I think I’m up to the challenge. Our equipment is top-notch and we’ve put together a team of guys at RCR who not only are experienced but driven and hungry. We’re looking to run in the top 10 or top five every week and win Rookie of the Year honors. Don’t forget that first win – we’re really focused on that and see it as an achievable goal.

All I’ve ever wanted to do is race at NASCAR’s highest level and now that the opportunity is right in front of me, I want to soak in every second of it. I appreciate all aspects of the business – from the constant traveling to honoring the numerous media and sponsor requests. Anything that comes with the territory is more than fine with me and I can’t wait to get going.

Austin Dillon is the rookie driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Silverado for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Dillon is the grandson of RCR President and CEO, Richard Childress, and the son of Mike Dillon, a former NASCAR driver who is now RCR’s vice president of competition. The Clemmons, N.C., native began his racing career in 2005 driving Bandaleros and Legends cars, progressing to dirt and asphalt Late Model cars by 2007. He earned rookie of the year honors and finished second in the 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series East point standings. That same year, Dillon made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Richmond International Raceway in September and earned a fourth-place finish at Memphis Motorsports Park in October in only his second race. In 2009, Dillon competed in the NASCAR Camping World Series, ARCA Racing Series, Nationwide Series and made two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving RCR’s famous black No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado. In the fall of 2009, he enrolled in High Point University’s Nido R. Quebin School of Communications as an incoming freshman. For more information about Dillon, please visit: www.rcrracing.com, www.teamdillonracing.com and www.bassproshops.com. To follow Dillon on Twitter or Facebook, please visit: twitter.com/rcr3adillon or www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing.

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Austin Dillon

Team Dillon Racing

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