Garage Equipment Supply Racing

Dillon’s 4th Place Finish At Stafford Locks Up Rookie-Of-The Year Title

10/12/2008

Stafford Springs, Conn. (October 13, 2008): Austin Dillon wrapped up a stellar season in the NASCAR Camping World Series East with a fourth place finish in the CarQuest Fall Final 150 at Stafford Motor Speedway. The finish earned the 18-year-old driver the coveted Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year title and a runner-up position in the final point standings. “I’m very happy with that,” said Dillon after the race. “This is another top-five and I think we were the only car to finish every single lap.

We locked up second in the points and Rookie-of-the-Year so you can’t ask for any more than that your first year out.” Dillon qualified eleventh for the season finale with a qualifying effort of 19.831 seconds (90.767 mph), and played it conservative in the opening laps of the race. By lap five, caution was out on the track and Dillon lined back up in the 11th spot for the restart at lap nine. On lap 20, Dillon began a battle with his closest competitor in the rookie battle, Ricky Carmichael, in turn two.

The duo went side-by-side, but it was Dillon who pulled ahead on lap 21. The move commenced a momentum that put the Team Dillon Racing driver up to the top-five by the halfway mark. Dillon kept his #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet firmly placed in the rear view mirror of the fourth place car of Trevor Bayne after the 100-lap mark. On a restart at lap 143, Dillon had to contend with the challenges of Jesus Hernandez and briefly dropped back to sixth. Up front, the leaders got confrontational, and began to drop out of the running order.

Dillon moved up to fourth before the checkers dropped. “We had a good run going. We started 11th and were working our way through there. At one point I think we were the fastest car on the track,” Dillon said of his Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet. “I got marred in there by a few lapped cars. I passed up to the 1 and on that last caution they put us behind the 11. I really don’t know why, but the race is over now and we finished fourth.

I’m happy with that.” Dillon concluded the season with one win, six top-five, and 10 top-10 finishes. His average finish of eighth place throughout the season earned him second place in the final point standings – 210 points behind champion Matt Kobyluck. He was the only driver in the series to complete every lap of every race. Dillon will be honored for his accomplishments at the season-ending awards banquet in December

Pit Crew for a Day Sweepstakes Winner!

09/16/2008

CONGRATULATIONS! September 12, 2008 - GLENN KERN of PA is the winner of the "Pit Crew for a Day" Sweepstakes. We are looking forward to having Glenn at the track for an exciting day of NASCAR racing! What makes this even better is that Glenn is a true NASCAR race fan! Glenn and his family attended the Camping World East Race at Watkins Glen and came early to the autograph session and were able to meet Austin and the other CWES drivers. "When you run a sweepstakes it is always nice when the winners are fans," said Jed Johnston, Garage Equipment Supply Marketing Manager, " I know that Glenn will appreciate and enjoy this once in a life time chance."

Dillon Happy With Top-Five Finish At NHMS

09/13/2008

Loudon, NH (September 13, 2008) - Austin Dillon drove the #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet to a fifth place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, and moved up to second in the point standings. Dillon battled a tight-handling racecar in the early laps, but rallied back in the final 25 laps.

“This was a great effort by Team Dillon Racing, and we’ll go to Dover with some momentum,” said Dillon after the race. “We had a good finish, and that’s all we needed. If we can close out the year with a few more top-five’s we’ll be happy.”

The 18-year-old driver started 15th in qualifying after turning a lap of 31.610 seconds (124.430 mph), and quickly realized that his Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet was going to need an adjustment. When the first caution flew at lap 10, Dillon brought his machine to the attention of his pit crew.

“We were definitely too tight so we came in and made some adjustments,” he explained.

Dillon restarted the race at the tail end of the field, but felt an immediate improvement in the handling. He would have to return to pit road, however, when NASCAR discovered that the rookie stripe was missing from the rear bumper.
“That was a mistake on our part, but we’re going to get that fixed. That cost us the lead early. I think we could have gotten to the front with pit strategy,” Dillon admitted.

Racing resumed at lap 22 with the young driver maintaining his position in eleventh during the long green flag run that ensued. After the halfway mark, Dillon decided it was time to go, and by lap 97 was running fifth.

During a caution at lap 93, some of the front-running cars elected to head to pit road for fresh right side tires. Team Dillon Racing decided track position was more important and restarted the race on lap 97 in the fifth position, where he remained until the checkers dropped 28 laps later.

“It was definitely a good run for us,” said Dillon. “We’re happy with it. Consistency is very important in the points and that’s what we’ll need to end the year on top.”

Dillon Scores 7th Top-10 Finish For TDR Racing At Mansfield

08/24/2008

Mansfield, OH (August 24, 2008): Mansfield Motorsports Park is notoriously hard to pass at, and drivers often will move each other out of the way. A key to a good finish there is a good qualifying run and staying out of trouble. Austin Dillon, who started the NASCAR Camping World Series East’s Mansfield 150 from the 12th position, posted a sixth place finish and earned his seventh top-10 of the season by doing just that. Dillon’s consistency has enabled the 18-year-old driver to close in to six markers on second place in the points as the series heads into the final three races of the year.

“I’m happy with our sixth place finish,” said Dillon. “I wish we could have gotten a few more spots, but I think we had a sixth place car. It was tough out there, but we have a top-10 and the Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet is in one piece.”

Dillon’s qualifying effort wasn’t exactly what the team expected. His lap of 16.784 seconds (107.245 mph) earned him a mid-pack starting position of 12th place.

“Our mock qualifying run didn’t help us much. I ran four laps instead of two. Because of that, in qualifying I kind of misjudged what we were going to have,” Dillon admitted. “During the race the car really hooked up. It was free’r than most of the cars out there and that really helped.”

From the get-go, it was a fierce competition for each spot. There was plenty of three wide action and Dillon played it smart. By lap 30, the Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet was eighth and by lap 50 he was fifth.

Dillon fell back to seventh after the halfway mark, but made it back into the top-five by lap 125, where he remained until final lap of the race. On that last lap, Dillon got caught up in a three-wide battle that relegated him to sixth for the checkers.

“Toward the end everybody got a little aggressive. That’s racing. It’s hard to pass here and you’ve got to go. That’s what everybody was doing and luckily we were able to come out in the middle of it and get a decent finish.”

Accident Robs Dillon Of Top-10 Finish At Lime Rock Park

08/17/2008

Lakeville, CT (August 17, 2008): Austin Dillon demonstrated a potential for a solid top-10 finish at Lime Rock Park Saturday afternoon, but on lap 64 that all came to a screeching halt when his Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet wrecked at the uphill on the tricky “short track” road course. Dillon recovered to finish the NASCAR Camping World Series East event in 21st and maintain his third place position in the championship point standings.
“I tried to pass one of the slow cars on the outside and I caught the speedy dry getting into the uphill. You couldn’t save it. I was wrecking all the way to the tire wall,” Dillon recounted.
Dillon struggled in Friday practice sessions, but was able to start the Mohegan Sun 200 in third after a band of showers washed out qualifying. Dillon and his Team Dillon Racing crew were confident for a strong performance in the 82-lap race.
Dillon settled into fifth at the drop of the green, but got shuffled back just outside the top-10 before the first caution flew at lap 10. Cars immediately began their round of necessary pit stops with Dillon electing to stay out and gain track position.
Dillon was fourth when racing resumed at lap 15 and moved up to third on the following circuit. Dillon shadowed the line of then-leader Steve Park and road racing ace Eric Curran with the trio pulling away from the rest of the field by a comfortable ten carlength advantage. Caution reeled them in and set off another round of pit stops. Curran, who had taken over the lead just two laps before, came in first with Dillon assuming the lead at lap 23. Dillon led for one circuit and gained valuable bonus points before coming onto pit road himself.
Dillon was 28th when the field when back to green at lap 31 with threatening clouds resting just above the track. By the time the rain started falling at lap 38, Dillon had broke into the top-20.
The field was parked for nearly 80 minutes as they waited out the rain, but blue skies soon prevailed and the race was back underway at lap 51. Dillon made it back up to 12th before the accident threw a wrench in his day. Dillon went to pit road where he went a lap down as the teams worked to fix the damage to the left front. The race went back to green at lap 68 with the Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet at the tail end.
Dillon was on a mission, but he had a long way to go. He was working his way back through the field when caution slowed his pace at lap 71. Dillon received the beneficiary and got back on the lead lap for the restart at lap 77. With only five laps to go, Dillon was confident he could salvage the day with a top-15.
“We didn’t have the luck we needed,” said Dillon. “I thought we could pick up a few positions and finish 15th maybe, but a car spun out in front of us and I just couldn’t miss him. It wasn’t a good day for us, but we’ll take it and go back to Mansfield and back to what we’re used to.”

New look East Series returns to the Monster Mile

08/05/2008

By: Joe Heller
Source: http://www.doverspeedway.com/track/news/article.php?dir=200808&id=2154

August 5, 2008 - Much has changed since the checkered flag fell on the NASCAR Busch East Series season last September at Dover. The series has a new name, its defending champion has gone on to be an instant success in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and a few new faces have emerged as real contenders for this year’s championship title.

The series unveiled a new name and logo at their annual awards banquet in December 2007. Long-time sponsor Busch ended its partnership with NASCAR and the East Series at the end of the season, paving the way for Camping World to step up and sponsor both of NASCAR’s regional series – the NASCAR Camping World Series East and West.

The NASCAR Camping World Series is the top step in NASCAR’s developmental series before drivers make the jump to the three national series. Joey Logano, 2007 East Series champion, made a giant leap from the series to the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the end of last season, and has been able to continue much of the success that he saw in the East Series, including his first career victory in only his third start in NASCAR’s No. 2 series.

But while Logano has moved on to the national level, several new young guns have stepped up to the plate and have established themselves as real contenders.

Austin Dillon, grandson of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner Richard Childress, will be easily spotted on the track in his black No. 3 Chevrolet with Andy Santerre Motorsports.

Brian Ickler has been following Dillon closely in the early stages of the season. The former NASCAR Camping World West Series competitor has now made a permanent move to the East Series with his own team, and has gotten off to a flying start.

Likewise, Ricky Carmichael has shown to be lightning fast from the get-go. Considered to be the greatest AMA motocross racer of all-time, Carmichael has gone from two wheels to four, and will race the full East Series schedule with Ken Schrader Racing.

Series veterans Steve Park, Matt Kobyluck and second-year East Series sensations Jeffrey Earnhardt and Peyton Sellers will no doubt give the young guns a run for their money, and will be in hot pursuit of the “Sunoco 150” monster trophy.

To purchase tickets for the Friday, Sept. 19, 2008 "Sunoco 150" NASCAR Camping World Series race click here.

Revised Finish: Dillon Dropped To Last; Crew Chief Deiters Suspended 3 Races

08/04/2008

By Official Release
July 29, 2008 - 4:14pm

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced today that the unofficial results of Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Series East race at Adirondack International Speedway in Beaver Falls, N.Y. have been revised due to a rules violations discovered during post-race inspection of the third-place car – the No. 3 driven by Austin Dillon.The car was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20C-12.3-S (front shock absorbers would not extend to the specified distance within the specified period of time) of the 2008 NASCAR rule book. The violations were discovered during post race inspection on July 26.

The infraction dropped Dillon to 25th in the official race finish. All other drivers in the event moved up one position in the official finishing order.NASCAR has also penalized Lance Deiters, crew chief of the No. 3 team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Series East, as a result of rules infractions found Saturday at Adirondack International Speedway in Beaver Falls, N.Y.

As a result, Deiters has been suspended from the next three NASCAR Camping World Series East events, suspended from NASCAR until Sept. 17, 2008, and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31, 2008.

Dillon Picks Up Another Top-Three Finish At Adirondack For Garage Equipment Supply

07/28/2008

Beaver Falls, NY (July 27, 2008): Austin Dillon’s debut at New York’s Adirondack Speedway proved to be bittersweet. After leading a total of 40 laps, the 18-year-old driver of the #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Series East settled with a third place finish. Dillon lost the lead to DEI development driver Trevor Bayne for the third and final time following a lap 126 restart.

“We had a good restart. Trevor kind of jumped us on the outside and kept us down there,” Dillon explained. “We raced hard there for two laps and finally I got the lead and he pulled in behind me. I guess he got a good run and shoved me up the track a little bit. I couldn’t hold the bottom when he pushed me off in there. I tried to get the lead back but I hit the inside bump and I couldn’t hold it. That’s when Matt (Kobyluck) got on the inside of me too.”

Dillon started the race from the outside pole after laying down a lap of 108.709 mph in qualifying earlier in the day. At the drop of the green, polesitter Bryon Chew got the advantage coming out of three with Dillon getting shuffled back to fifth. The first caution flew at lap 18 when a car spun on the track, but a heavy rain began falling and NASCAR was forced to red flag the event.

After one hour, the race was back under green at lap 38 with Dillon anxious to get things going.

“I knew it would be slicker,” Dillon said about the track after the red flag. “I like it when it’s loose and slick because I have dirt experience and I thought there’s where it was going to help me the most. It did, but I really changed my driving style after that red flag. I really felt like I needed to get on the wheel and that I wasted that first little bit losing some position.”

By lap 42, the Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet was already up to third. Caution tightened up the field for a restart at lap 55. Peyton Sellers moved out front with Dillon going low under the 99 of Chew. Chew shut the door, but Dillon was persistent and continued to challenge.

Dillon took the position at lap 80 when he used the bottom groove to his advantage and took the position in turn three. He then set his sights on Sellers. On lap 86, Dillon went to challenge Sellers for the lead and made contact. Sellers spun and Dillon inherited the lead.

Dillon led the next 26 laps unchallenged, but on a restart at lap 114, Bayne made his presence known. Dillon was unshaken by Bayne’s pressure and continued to lead. The two were lined up side-by-side for another restart at lap 126 and the action really heated up.

Bayne went to the front, but not without a fight. Dillon and Bayne were dead even through the distance of the ½ mile oval. Dillon pulled ahead in turns one and two on lap 127, but Bayne drove back out front on lap 129.

\A caution put the duo back together again for a restart at lap 136, and again, they went door-to-door through the tricky turns. Bayne went out front and brought eventual race winner Matt Kobyluck with him before Dillon settled into third.

“It was a hard fought battle and I wish I could have kept the lead, but Trevor got me and there was nothing I could do,” Dillon said. “On the back of the pace car it says rubbing is racing and that’s what we did tonight.”

Dillon maintained his third place spot on the final restart at lap 148 despite a multi-car pileup in turns three and four on the white flag lap.

“It was a good race all and all,” he concluded. “It’s disappointing, but it’s a third. It didn’t help us any in points, but it kept us the same. We were a little worried about this track when we came here. I didn’t have any experience here at all so a top-three is good and I had a lot of fun.”

Dillon Nets Podium Finish At Nashville

07/22/2008

Nashville, TN (July 21, 2008): Austin Dillon continued a streak of consistency with a third place finish in Saturday night’s Strutmasters.com 150 at Music City Motorplex in Nashville, and earned his fourth top-five of the NASCAR Camping World Series East season. Dillon led twelve laps en route to his finish and maintained the series point lead.

Dillon’s finish didn’t come without its hurdles, however.

After unloading the #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet, the team discovered a problem with the clutch and tackled the problem head on before going out to practice. The Team Dillon Racing entry never made it out during the first session, but was able to put down a solid 51 laps in the second 45-minute segment.

“The spline on the clutch wouldn’t even go. The car wouldn’t move,” explained Dillon. “We mixed up the big spline and the small spline, and didn’t have the clutch the right size. We just weren’t able to get out for the first practice but the guys got it back together and we were able to make some quality laps in the second practice.”

Dillon’s qualifying effort didn’t show any signs of trouble. The 18-year-old driver laid down a lap of 19.588 seconds (109.536 mph) to earn the third starting position on the grid. Dillon settled in behind Peyton Sellers and Jeffrey Earnhardt at the drop of the green.

On a restart at lap 27, Trevor Bayne used the outside groove to drive by Dillon for third – a spot the driver didn’t want to give up. As Bayne continued his progression towards the front, Dillon decided it was go time and began battling Earnhardt for third.

Dillon challenged on the inside, and got his #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet up to the door on Earnhardt’s machine. Dillon kept digging, but couldn’t quite complete the pass and settled back into fourth. Six laps later, Dillon went underneath Earnhardt again, but this time finishing what he started.

Caution flew at lap 80 with Sellers, who had led the entire first half of the race, opting to come down pit road. This move pushed Dillon onto the front row for the restart at lap 84. At the drop of the green, Dillon shot to the lead but couldn’t shake the determined Bayne, who used the low groove to reclaim the top spot and relegate Dillon back into second.

A caution put Dillon and Bayne side-by-side again, but when racing resumed, Bayne drove out front again. Dillon kept the pressure on, but it would be a restart that benefited Dillon once again. When the green dropped at lap 118, Dillon used that outside groove to his advantage and took over the lead, where he would remain for the next seven circuits.

Dillon lost ground to Bayne, Matt Kobyluck, and Sellers on a restart at lap 124 – relegating him to the fourth position. In the final 25 laps of the race, Dillon battled Sellers for fourth, but Dillon held his ground. It was on the final restart that Dillon picked up his final position to move into third before the checkers dropped.

“I kind of had the restarts figured out there in the end. My car was good when we got out front there, but I started overdriving it,” said Dillon. “I couldn’t get the brakes figured out and I couldn’t hold myself down in the center of the corner. It was a hard fought battle today and we’re happy to come out of here with a third.”

Dillon Caps Thompson Debut With Top-10 Finish

07/13/2008

Thompson, Conn. (July 13, 2008): NASCAR Camping World Series East point leader Austin Dillon posted his fifth top-10 finish in only his sixth series start Saturday night when he drove the #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet to a ninth place finish in the Full Fender Frenzy 100 at Thompson International Speedway. It was Dillon’s first time at the tricky 5/8th’s mile oval.

“The car was just tight. We were never free the whole night,” said Dillon. “But, I learned a lot in the race, and I started driving harder later in the race. I learned how hard I can take these cars.”

Dillon, who is the only driver this season to have completed every lap of every race, kicked off the day with a qualifying effort of 20.645 seconds (108.985 mph) for an 11th place starting position.

With practice time at a premium, Dillon, who had never before ran an event at Thompson, used the first half of the race to become acclimated to the track and ran in the top-15 for a majority of that distance.

“I ran about 50 laps here after New Hampshire just so that I could see what the track looked like, but other than that I had never even seen the place before,” said Dillon. “In the beginning of the race I had to figure out the line and see how hard I could drive the track.”

After the midway point, Dillon turned up the heat and broke into the top-10 for a restart at lap 53. Immediately, the 18-year-old hotshoe got involved in a battle with Rogelio Lopez for the ninth spot. The two drove side-by-side with veteran Steve Park waiting in the wings.

“We were racing hard and Rogelio races well with me,” said Dillon. “It was fun. I know I can race with him and he’ll race me clean. We were pretty evenly matched there for a while, but the #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet was a little better getting through there on the bottom and I was able to drive by and gain some ground.”

A barrage of cautions littered the final 30 laps of the race making it hard for Dillon to advance his position in the field. He avoided several accidents to post a ninth place finish.

“It was a really strong effort by Team Dillon Racing tonight,” said Dillon after the race. “There at the end it was just caution after caution and we didn’t have a lot of chances to get some passing in. We kept the points lead and we’re ready to head to Nashville.”

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