Auto racing: Dillon looks for second straight win

Ty Dillon doesn't try to speed away from his family history in auto racing.

The 21-year-old race car driver grasps it with the same grip he uses to grab the steering wheel, driving his career down the familiar path. Racing is in his genes passed down from his grandfather, NASCAR owner Richard Childress, father Mike Dillon and older brother, Austin Dillon.

Ty Dillon will attempt to continue his family's success at Iowa Speedway in Newton for the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series American Ethanol 200 on Saturday, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Dillon is looking for his second straight win, capturing his first victory of the season at the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway on June 28.

Ty Dillon is third in points, driving the No. 3 truck for Richard Childress Racing that his older brother raced to an NCWTS title in 2011. He finished fourth last season, earning Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. Austin Dillon is fifth in NASCAR Nationwide Series points, recording a stretch of three straight poles.

The drive to win is greater than living up to their name, although it goes hand-in-hand.

“There is a little bit of pressure but we put more on ourselves to run good and prove we should be where we are,” Ty Dillon said. “We are winning races to prove we belong here (and) not because of our family name.”

Both have produced as they climbed the ranks and another jump could be coming soon. Ty Dillon made his Nationwide debut last year and Austin Dillon is getting a chance to compete in some NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

Childress told ESPN.com Friday Austin Dillon might be considered for one of RCR's three Sprint Cup teams in 2014 with the departure of Kevin Harvick, who is moving to Stewart-Haas Racing. Ty Dillon admitted that he could possibly have a Nationwide ride next season.

“I think RCR has done a good job of letting me take my time and really get experience at different tracks and run two years in the Truck Series was huge, and now our second year in the Nationwide Series,” Austin Dillon said in NASCAR teleconference. “I think they've done a good job of developing us, me and my brother both, and staying on the path.”

Ty Dillon had three Nationwide starts last year, posting a top-five finish and three in the top 10. In five starts this season, he averages about a ninth-place start and a top-20 finish. He is confident in his skills at that level.

“The races I've ran are the toughest on the schedule,” Ty Dillon said. “My results aren't going to be as good but it's a learning experience. When I get to go back next year it will be great. I'm looking forward to the future in the Nationwide Series.”

The Dillon brothers face as much competition from each other as the other drivers in their respective series. Whether it is on or off the track, they try to better each other. Ty Dillon said it usually contains plenty of smack talk and they are both good at it. He confirmed it saying, “Me, of course,” when asked who was the better driver.

“We are very close. We do a lot of things together and want to see each other succeed,” Ty Dillon said. “There's always competition between us to see who can win and do better in anything. Right now, I'm ahead of him this year.”

The win that put him up on his sibling has propelled him into this weekend's contest at Iowa Speedway. It was his third top-five finish and fifth in the top 10 this year. It was a team effort, but the young driver showed an ability to execute late.

“...We had a really fast truck there at the end,” Crew chief Marcus Richmond said after that race. “Ty started off too loose and I knew if I could get the truck to the tight side, he could wheel it. And, he did...”

Ty Dillon preceded it with a runner-up performance in the WinStar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. He said he is excited to reach Iowa Speedway.

He won the 2011 ARCA race here, placing second in the 2010 contest, which was the same year Austin Dillon won the NCWTS Lucas Oil 200 in Newton. Austin Dillon won the pole in June's Nationwide race, proving RCR has a strong blueprint for the 0.875-mile oval. It could continue Ty Dillon's roll.

“I think this year we'll have a better opportunity of being the fastest car,” Ty Dillon said. “We weren't the fastest truck last year. We were able to capitalize on late-race opportunities to put us up in the front and give us an opportunity to win. This year, I feel we'll have an opportunity to run up front all day and have a chance to win it outright.”