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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.”