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NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
TRUCKS: Dillon The Man To Beat In Kentucky?
Austin Dillon was fastest in both NCWTS practices Thursday...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted September 03, 2010   Sparta. KY
Austin Dillon is the grandson of team owner Richard Childress. (Photo: Getty Images)
There’s an old Southern saying that’s as true in the NASCAR garage as it is in society in general: Blood tells.

PDF > QUALIFYING ORDER: BUILT FORD TOUGH 225 - KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
LINK > FINAL PRACTICE: BUILT FORD TOUGH 225 - KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
LINK > PRACTICE ONE: BUILT FORD TOUGH 225 - KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY

If you need proof, look no further than 20-year-old Austin Dillon, grandson of Richard Childress. In his first full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Dillon has had a sensational campaign, especially over the summer.

Dillon started off slowly, triggering a big crash in the season-opener at Daytona, and posting a best finish of sixth over the first seven races, a period when his average finish in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Silverado was a disheartening 18.286.

But after his season’s worst 35th-place finish at Charlotte in May, Dillon has caught fire and shown that he has some of the same instincts and talents his grandfather does.

From Charlotte, Dillon went on to win three consecutive poles and finish third at Texas and fifth at Michigan before winning his first race at Iowa Speedway. Over the last 10 races, Dillon has one victory, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

It’s been a long time since the black No. 3 has been feared on any NASCAR track, but Dillon is starting to be one of those drivers that the winner is going to contend with before the race is over.

So far this week at Kentucky Speedway, Dillon has made himself noticed again, leading both rounds of practice for tonight’s Built Ford Tough 225. Dillon is one of the favorites to win both the pole and the race tonight. SPEED’s coverage of tonight’s festivities begin with qualifying at 6 p.m. and the “NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup” at 7:30 p.m.

“We’ve been fast in a lot of practice sessions this year,” said Dillon, who is currently seventh in points and leading the Asbestos Rookie of the Year standings.

“I feel like it’s time to go ahead and prove that we can be fast in the race,” he said. “I think we did last week (at Chicagoland Speedway) when we took the lead and we just had a mistake. We had mistakes earlier in the year when we were running in the top five. When we won the race at Iowa, we didn’t make any mistakes. We have to get back to that and I think we’re going to this weekend.”

Dillon said he enjoys the 1.5-mile Kentucky track, a facility that seems to suit younger drivers. Joey Logano, for example, has shined here in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Austin Dillon won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Smith's 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

“This is an awesome track,” said Dillon. “I’ve been here once before for an ARCA race, so I feel a little bit more at home than I do at most tracks. I have the similar feel for the truck that I had at Iowa so I’m really excited about the race. There is a lot of character at this track. It reminds me of a big Iowa with the way the bumps are situated.”

If Dillon is to succeed tonight, his biggest obstacle likely will be Kyle Busch, who has won four consecutive NASCAR races, including victories in all three of the sanctioning body’s top divisions. Busch has also won the two most recent Truck Series races.

“It will be tough to get the pole,” said Dillon. “Kyle Busch is really good again this weekend. That’s one thing we’ll have to fight, he’s one of the toughest out there to beat. We’re working hard to see what we can do.”

PDF > QUALIFYING ORDER: BUILT FORD TOUGH 225 - KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
LINK > FINAL PRACTICE: BUILT FORD TOUGH 225 - KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
LINK > PRACTICE ONE: BUILT FORD TOUGH 225 - KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

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