Austin Dillon ran the No. 3 in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events in 2009. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Article written by Jared Turner
Richard Childress Racing plans to reenter the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series full time this season with driver Austin Dillon, Dillon’s father and RCR Vice President of Competition Mike Dillon said on Tuesday.
RCR, which won the championship in the inaugural Truck season of 1995 with driver Mike Skinner, last competed full time in the series in 1999 with Jay Sauter.
RCR has since entered only three Truck races, all in 2009, with Austin Dillon running two and Tim George Jr. the other.
“We are going to run full time with Austin in the truck, the black 3 truck, and we do have a sponsor, and we’re real excited about it,” Mike Dillon said. “I think it’s a perfect place for the situation we’re in with Austin. He’s going to school, to college, at High Point University, and the schedule, it fits better for trying to accomplish that.”
Austin, 19, made his first foray into NASCAR with a full Camping World East Series schedule in 2008. The grandson of team owner Richard Childress finished second in the standings, with a win, six top-fives and 10 top-10s in 13 starts.
In addition to his two Truck races last season, Dillon also ran select races in the Camping World East and West series and the Automobile Racing Club of America series.
Dillon finished 12th and 15th, respectively, in his previous Truck outings, which came at Iowa Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He failed to qualify last fall at Talladega.
Dillon is the only driver to run the No. 3 in a NASCAR event since the death of RCR driver and seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
The number has not been used full time in NASCAR national series competition since Earnhardt.
