Tyler Reddick
If you look back through the histories of Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon and Powershares QQQ 300 winner Tyler Reddick you would notice a commonality among the two racers. Both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series winners from this past weekend at Daytona International Speedway cut their racing teeth in Dirt Late Models. And not only did they simply show up and ride around on dirt tracks, but each can list some significant accomplishments on the clay.
Daytona Xfinity winner Reddick began driving powerful Super Late Models on dirt well before he was even eligible for a drivers license that would allow him to drive on the street. Dubbed the ‘California Kid’ by some dirt track announcers, the native of the Golden State became the youngest driver in the history of the Winternationals at Tampa’s East Bay Raceway Park to win a feature race. At the same time, he became the youngest racer to win an event sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
Further, Reddick was the youngest driver to ever start the prestigious World 100 from the pole position
Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. He also recorded top-5 finishes in the Knoxville Late Model Nationals at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway and in the Topless 100 at the Batesville Motor Speedway in Arkansas. Both of those are considered to be Dirt Late Model crown jewel races.
On Saturday afternoon, the 22-year-old Reddick drove his JR Motorsports Chevrolet to the closest winning margin in Xfinity Series history as he beat veteran teammate Elliott Sadler to the checkered flag by mere inches. It was his second career win in NASCAR’s second series to go along with three triumphs in the Camping World Truck Series. He has won twice at Daytona, once in each series.
Tyler Reddick was the youngest ever Lucas Oil winner
Dillon scored the win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series most prestigious race when he pushed aside Aric Almirola on the final lap this past Sunday. Driving for his grandfather’s Richard Childress Racing team, the North Carolina racer added that win to the Coca-Cola 600 victory he scored in 2017. And more, it was a return of the legendary No. 3 Chevrolet to DIS victory lane exactly 20 years to the day from the time when Dale Earnhardt, Sr. earned his lone win in the ‘Great American Race’.
Austin Dillon with my sons, Cody and Austin, at Smoky Mountain Speedway
Like Reddick, Dillon achieved big things in a relatively brief time on the dirt. His qualifying prowess in a Dirt Late Model was demonstrated when he set the current track record at Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, GA. And more, he once set fast time in qualifying for the World 100.
But more than just being fast in time-trials, the oldest of the two racing Dillon brothers has won multiple feature races. Among the trophies collected by the driver is one from a Southern Nationals race at Virginia’s Wythe Raceway and two All-Star Showdown events at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
The 27-year-old racer has amassed a total of seven victories on the the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and was the champion of that circuit in 2011. Dillon has scored eight first place finishes on the NASCAR Xfinity Series and was the champion in 2013.
Austin Dillon in his No. 3 Dirt Late Model
Many NASCAR drivers with a background in dirt racing will tout that form of racing as a good place to learn skills such a car control and throttle techniques that will pay off when racing in any other form of motorsports. Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick demonstrated that this past weekend in Daytona.
Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association
Respond to this piece on Twitter –> @RichardAllenIDR
