At first glance, it looks like the genuine article -- a racecar, mostly black, with a white No. 3 on the side written in that all-too-familiar script. But upon further inspection, the sponsor is different. Streaks of red and gray paint radiate from the front end. And the series decal just under the driver's side window is not that of NASCAR's premier division, but the Camping World East regional tour. "I've run it since I started [racing]," Dillon, a junior at Forsyth Country Day School in North Carolina, said of the number. "My grandfather and I talked about it when I started, and we knew it was going to be a big thing as long as I progressed with it and kept on with it. It was my grandfather's number at one point in time, but I know the man who made it famous was Dale. I'm going to appreciate that, too. We're hoping we get good feedback from the fans, and we'll keep it if the fans like it." Childress, who drove the No. 3 himself from 1976-81, had no plans to return the number to competition after Earnhardt's crash. That changed when his grandson came to him and asked to use it. Before long, young Austin was running Legends and Bandolero cars bearing the No. 3. He eventually moved up to dirt late models, recording three wins and 25 top-10s in 34 starts last year. This year he's scheduled to run the full, 14-race Camping World East schedule, in a car fielded by Andy Santerre Motorsports operating under the RCR development umbrella. "It's a big step," said his father, RCR general manager Mike Dillon, a former driver himself. "[Dirt late model] is so competitive. It's hard to beat those guys, with the horsepower you have and the kind of car control you have to have. He's done some testing already in the asphalt car. The other thing, he's learning how to race. He's learning how to pass people. That's the biggest thing you see nowadays is guys who don't know how to pass. They can run fast, but they don't know how to pass. It's a shame. A lot of them are fast, but then they get to somebody, and they either wreck them or wreck themselves." Austin competed in more traditional sports until he caught the racing bug from little brother Ty, a 15-year-old who will take over the menacing-looking black No. 3 dirt car that Austin drove last season. When he was younger he would travel to see his father drive on the Busch circuit. During Speedweeks he competed in a number of dirt races at Volusia Raceway, making up for the missed school with one-on-one classes that allowed him to get ahead and maintain his A-B average. After all, college is on the horizon, perhaps at Clemson. But there's no questioning his career goal. Like his dad and grandfather before him, Austin is driven to drive. |
*Austin drove to a #3 finish but was moved to 25th after a NASCAR ruling on a spring violation. 2007 Won the May Allstar Challenge
Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway Dirt Late-Model
34 Races: 3 Wins, 12 Top Five Finishes,
25 Top Ten Finishes UMP Modified
Qualified for Every Race, 3 Top Ten Finishes Asphalt Late-Model
First Race, Finished 6th
2006
Legends
3 Wins, 7 Second Places, 27 Top Five Finishes Spring Midget Classic
One of 40 to be Invited, Finished 5th Dirt Late-Model
Attended McDowell Driving School
2005
Bandoleros
Early Wins, Moved Directly in Semi-Pro Legends Legends
40 Races: 4 Wins, 7 Second Places,
25 Top Five Finishes, Summer Shootout
Finished 6th in Point Standings |
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