NASCAR: Five Drivers Set To Break Out In 2016
By Cole Mentzel
May 15, 2015; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Austin Dillon (3) races during the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Austin Dillon
2015 Season:
- Laps led: 39
- Top-5’s: 1
- Top-10’s: 5
- Average finish: 21.0
Austin Dillon knew he would be filling big shoes when he took over the No. 3 car in 2014, the first time it had been used since Dale Earnhardt’s last race. Dillon is the grandson of Richard Childress, who owns the number, which is why he was given the opportunity to race in it.
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At the time, he was only 23 years old and was fresh off of a Nationwide Series Championship. He knew the odds would be stacked against him but that didn’t stop him from proving himself early. His average finish was 17.5 in 2014 and that proved that he would become a regular competitor in the sport.
In 2015, he only had one more top-10 but the difference was how he raced. He looked a lot better than he did in 2014 and competed in the top-10 more often than before. His best race of the season was at Michigan in August when he started 4th and finished 4th while leading 19 laps in the process.
He is fortunate to get to learn from teammate Ryan Newman, who seems to consistently make the Chase, and as Dillon continues to grow older and learn new things, he will get better and better. I believe we will see a lot more top-5’s and top-10’s in 2016.
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