Dillon attempts repeat at Iowa Speedway

NEWTON - Aspirations changed to expectation with one drop of a checkered flag.

Austin Dillon captured his first NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series win last year at Iowa Speedway, turning his great potential into a winning performance. The trip to victory lane immediately raised the bar, making any other finish disappointing.

“When you get that first win you expect to win them all,” Dillon said. “You driver harder and harder and it almost gets you out there wanting to do better every time. The hardest thing for me is to take a second or a third now after getting that first win.”

With anything less than the best tough to accept, he will be focused on a repeat performance at Iowa Speedway for the NCWTS Coca-Cola 200 presented by Hy-Vee on Saturday, starting at 7 p.m. The weekend, which includes ARCA Series Prairie Meadows 200, starts with ARCA and NCWTS practice Friday and qualifying for both Saturday afternoon.

Dillon has cause for optimism. He led 187 of the 200 laps on the .875-mile oval a year ago. He dominated the field before having to hold off Johnny Sauter at the end for a green-white-checker flag finish. The win returned the black No. 3 Chevrolet to victory lane for the first time since the death of legendary driver Dale Earnhardt in 2001.

“I'm really excited to come back for the truck race, defending the race I guess,” the 21-year-old driver said. “It will be really cool.”

He is quite familiar with Iowa Speedway. Dillon will make his eighth career start at the track, including his third in Trucks Series and two in NASCAR Nationwide Series. He placed 10th in the Nationwide Series John Deere Dealers of Iowa 250 in May and has finished in the top 12 in each Trucks Series race in Newton.

Dillon even participated in a fan ride-along at the track June 28 with his brother, Ty, who will attempt to increase his ARCA Series season points lead in the earlier race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who won May's Nationwide Series race and Cole Whitt, a rookie sandwiched between leader Sauter and third-place Dillon in the season points standings.

“It feels like a home track for me and my little brother,” Dillon said about 19-year-old sibling. “We have run so many laps here.”

The atmosphere is also impressive to Dillon, who is the son of former driver Mike Dillon and grandson of famed car owner Richard Childress. He has an affection for the track and the crowds it draws for its top events.

“They pack this place," Dillon said. "You get out there and the fans yelling, it is so much fun.

“It's really cool. I have a lot of fans here. It's one of my favorite places to come.”

Experience has played an important part and could be a valuable asset, but the track's characteristic also contribute to a strong run for newer drivers. The size, speed and banking set it apart from any other track on the series, according to Dillon.

“This is one of those places where young guys can come in, rookies, and really show what they have for talent,” Dillon said. "It's a driver's track."

Sauter leads Whitt by 23 points and 25 ahead of Dillon, who has two top-five finishes and four top-10 in 10 starts. The race could impact a tight points race with the top seven drivers separated by only 39 points. The competition is tough so his first win of the season will be hard to come by, but he won't be settling for anything else.

“I feel like this year we're sitting better in points than we did last year at this time, but we've had more mistakes this year than last year,” Dillon said. “We're just trying to get over that hump and get that first win, so I'm looking forward to coming back here and hopefully the same thing we did last year.”