Dillon returns black No.3 Chevy to victory lane

NEWTON - Austin Dillon made his latest appearance at Iowa Speedway a memorable one.

His performance Sunday will be one to remember for himself, his famous grandfather Richard Childress of Richard Childress Racing, and for NASCAR fans in general.

Dillon, who races a black Chevy truck adorning the No. 3 just like the late auto racing legend Dale Earnhardt drove, returned the iconic racing symbol to victory lane for the first time since Earnhardt died in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

The rookie driver dominated the field for his first NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series victory at the Lucas Oil 200 in  an exciting end Sunday at Iowa Speedway. Dillon raced to the win over runner-up Johnny Sauter in a green to white to checker flag finish. Matt Crafton was third.

“It's pretty awesome,” Dillon said. “At the beginning of the year I wanted to win) for the fans too. They want to see it out front. That's the only way people want to appreciate it, I think, when it's run well.”

Childress, who was in the post-race press conference with his son, said the weekend was special. The return of Earnhardt's old No. 3 black Chevy to victory lane was also marked by his grandson getting it there and another grandson, Ty Dillon, winning the pole and placing second in the ARCA Series Prairie Meadows 200 Saturday night.

“Today was really special,” Childress said. “it meant so much to see Austin win the race and won the pole, Ty won the pole last night and finished second. It was a good weekend for the Dillon boys.

“Austin's been competitive in everything he's ever done. They don't like to lose at anything. I knew when these young men get in the cars and go I know they're going to give it 100%.”

Earnhardt raced for Childress and won six of his seven NASCAR season titles in that black Chevy No. 3 that became synonymous to the enormous amount of "Intimidator" fans. Dillon knows how high the expectations are for anyone driving that number.

“I put enough pressure on myself to go out and do the best I can every time I get in that car and this just proves we can do it,” Dillon said. “I'm glad it's the No. 3. It's my favorite number to run. I hope I can run it for a long time.”

If he continues to run anything like he did Sunday, he'll be racing it for quite a while. Dillon, who claimed his third straight top-5 finish, handled the 36-car field, leading a whopping 187 of the 200 laps. He regularly pulled away from the competition, driving with unmatched speed and power.

“My grandfather and dad (former driver and RCR Vice president of Competition Mike Dillon) have done a good job of putting the people in the right places for us,” Dillon said. “Now we're starting to show results. It's just amazing.

“We didn't have any mistakes anywhere. We were flawless and that's what we needed. We couldn't make mistakes. That's what wins you races.”

After the race Sauter said a disheartened feeling when he heard time and speed updates for each lap over the radio. He was aware of the task at hand and didn't need a constant reminder of how much faster Dillon was than the other drivers.

“I see him getting smaller,” Sauter commented. “You don't have to tell me."

“Nobody can sit here and tell you they had a better truck than he did,” Sauter said of Dillon. “He dominated the race and it was going to take a prayer and a miracle to get him.”

The performance highlights a strong stretch for the Dillon, who became the second youngest Trucks champion and third-youngest winner at 20 years and 2 months old. Kyle Busch is the youngest champion, winning twice at a younger age. Dillon led more laps before the race's first caution (52) than he had in his previous nine starts (38).

“He's progressively getting better as a driver week-in and week-out,” Sauter said. “He's got the last three poles in a row.”

Just as everything seemed to be ending neatly with Dillon cruising to victory. The race's seventh and final caution occurred with just three laps to go, adding five laps to the race and leading to the green-white-checker flag finish. Jason White blew a tire and debris on the track led to the dash for the finish.

“I knew it wasn't going to be that easy,” Dillon said. “I saw Jason White had sparks there and a flat tire. I was trying to speed up and actually make laps in two seconds to try to get it over with.”

Sauter challenged Dillon at the end, but indirectly helped the youngster seal his victory. Sauter captured his first lead by beating Dillon on the high side off a restart on lap 150 after White's accident in Turn 3 on lap 144. Dillon reclaimed the lead just three laps later and held on for good.

Losing the lead off a restart eventually benefited Dillon at the end when the race was just three laps from being complete.

“A win like this means a real win,” Dillon said. “Johnny Sauter is amazing on restarts. He does a really good job. He's one of the toughest guys to restart against. This just makes it that much better.”

Sauter, who was on the low side for the start unlike the restart when he claimed his lead, did what he could to get out front for the final dash.

“At the end there, that last green, white, checker (flag finish), the leader in the race controls the field at that point,” Sauter said. “All you can do is anticipate as best as you can and I felt like I went when he went.”

For Sauter, who sits fifth in the Truck Series points standings, it was his fourth top-10 finish of the season and second at the Iowa Speedway. With the top four drivers in the point standings dropping from the race early, Sauter was able to close in on the leaders.

“This is what we have to do if we're going to make a run at the championship,” Sauter said. “We just have to try to win some more races.”