It’s been quite a while since Austin Dillon caught a break. Underperforming these last couple of years, Richard Childress’s grandson and driver of the iconic #3 car has faced unflattering opinions from many. After failing to qualify for the 2023 playoffs, he hasn’t fared much better in the postseason either. With the voices of disgruntlement around him rising rapidly, the driver goes to Homestead-Miami for another Cup Series race.

Taking on the qualifiers at the 1.5-mile intermediate, he grabbed P6 to start. Talking to NBC Sports after the lap, he gisted down his 2023 season and expressed a desire.

Austin Dillon puts forward a claim that the #3 team hasn’t found balance yet

When Austin Dillon won the 2011 Truck Series championship and went on to win the 2012 Xfinity championship, he seemed to have ticked all the boxes for making it big in the Cup Series. A promotion to the top tier was imminent and his grandfather buckled up to take the youngster on. However, it has now been 10 seasons with Richard Childress Racing for him and he is yet to start running at the front consistently. The driver’s latest win came at the Daytona International Speedway last year.

Without a win in the 2023 season, Dillon will be traveling to Miami in the hopes of gaining some consolation for his season. Talking to the media, however, he had some remarkable words about his team’s live situation that cast a question on his chances. Moreover, his dejection was palpable as he said, “I’m just happy to be interviewed right now. 2023 has been a rough year but we are turning things around the last couple of weeks. The group has been progressively trying to get better and our qualifying efforts are showing up. We haven’t hit the race balance quite like we need to. Hopefully this weekend we have done a good job.”

Despite saying that the team’s balance wasn’t at par, Dillon qualified to 6th on the grid. Hoping that he will be able to repeat a performance similar to last year’s race at Miami when he finished P4, the driver set the mark for himself high.

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Riddled in questions of doubt, will Dillon be able to grab a win before the season ends?

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Regardless of positions and points, certain drivers have always seemed to have some tracks broken down. The same case applies to Dillon and the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Over his 9 appearances in the track, he has accumulated 3 top-5 finishes and 5 top-15s. His average finish at this track makes it his best over the last decade. Notably, he came back from P33 to finish P4 at this race last year. Qualifying in a decent position, he will have perhaps his best shot at the win this weekend.

Talking about the last result and his goal for the main race, he said, “It’s a good day to have a good run for us. […] The #8 team has been so good this year. We just want to bring something to our teammate and hopefully today they can look at what we have going on and make it better.”

There are a couple of reasons behind Dillon not being a clear fan favorite. First, the controversy that has surrounded him since he took on the iconic #3 car that Dale Earnhardt used to drive for RCR, and second, the idea of him being a team owner’s grandson. Though these aren’t outlooks that can be washed away over the course of a single race, a win at the Homestead would go some distance in that direction. Hopefully, the #3 team will capitalize on their qualifying run and give Childress a good day on the field.

Read More: Richard Childress’ 26-YO Racing Sensation Pens Heartfelt Message Hours After Losing Xfinity Berth