Austin Dillon is currently captivating fans with his performance at the Cook Out 400, as he has been within the top 5 for most of the race. With Richard Childress Racing not yet having a car in the playoffs, this might be the team’s only chance of making it. It’s no secret that the team has had a bad season, but looking at his performance, starting from Row 3, many fans are wondering if Austin Dillon will finally do justice to the legendary No. 3 ride.

While Richard Childress, Dillon’s grandfather and team owner, has done a solid job keeping the legacy of the iconic No. 3 alive since Dale Earnhardt’s final run at the 2001 Daytona 500, fans have often called him out for nepotism. In addition, Austin Dillon, who first brought the No. 3 back in the Camping World Truck Series and then in the Nationwide Series, proved his mettle with championships in both. But with only four Cup Series wins and a 68-race winless streak since his 2022 Daytona victory, the criticism has lingered.

However, after seeing the No. 3’s pace at Richmond, Childress’s claim that for every negative comment about bringing the No. 3 back, there were 95 positive ones, might just hold water. The car’s performance is starting to back up the decision, and the fans are starting to come around, and are evidently surprised at Dillon’s speed and skills.

Austin Dillon and his No. 3 team are definitely under pressure, with Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and Denny Hamlin showing winning potential, but as he crosses the finishing lap after lap, fans are starting to feel more confident that this might be RCR’s big break. Many are following the race updates on Reddit, where the comments section is getting flooded with fans cheering for Richard Childress’ grandson.

For his NASCAR career so far, the No. 3 Chevrolet driver has found himself out of the series top 10, but if he makes it into the playoffs this year, he might stand a chance of redeeming himself. He has qualified in the front rows many times but still couldn’t cross the chequered first. Last month at the Brickyard 400, Dillon started 11th and finished 13th behind, Carson Hocevar and Rick Stenhouse Jr.

Explaining what he could have done better in the race he said, “We were up and down on track position throughout the day, but Justin Alexander made a strategy call at the end to pit since a handful of the guys we were racing with were low on fuel. If the caution would have come out before the white flag, I think we could have jumped a couple more. Overall, our car was good and I’m happy for SENIX Tools to get a 13th-place finish. We will take these next two weeks off to keep building and getting better. Thanks to everyone at RCR, ECR, and Chevrolet.” Now, looking at his pace in Richmond, it looks like he did take the Olympics break seriously.

Although RCR is having a difficult season, their fans are not losing hope. After all, Dillon is driving the No. 3 car, which used to belong to Dale Earnhardt Sr. Fans have a lot of expectations when it comes to this seat, and with the torch passed to Dillon, he is finally proving himself in the car. Looking at his performance, fans couldn’t believe the No. 3 finally taking the Earnhardt dominance back.

Fans are shocked as Austin Dillon shows great prowess

One fan remembered the fact that the No. 3 car belonged to Dale Sr as he commented, “Did the ghost of Dale Sr take over the No. 3 over the break? How tf is he this fast?” Now we all know that Dale Sr. was called the intimidator for a reason, and that was due to his speed on the track with his bold driving style. With Dillon’s performance, the fan shows how they are shocked to see the driver do so well.

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We’re due for one random-ass Dillon win every two years or so,” said one fan who has noticed a pattern in Austin’s driving. Dillon has never been a consistent winner, and with his last win being two years ago, another fan replied to the above comment, saying, “It’s been about two years since his last one.”

Although the RCR driver is not known for being a dominator of the tracks, he still has a strong fan following that is rooting for him. This is extremely clear in this fan’s comment that says,

“Austin Dillon’s supremacy.”

The supremacy continues as another fan posted, “Austin Dillon is my hero.” This makes it clear that the No. 3 driver is leaving a mark on NASCAR despite not winning multiple races a year.

While most fans were celebrating Dillon’s driving during the race, one fan posted a sarcastic comment to make a joke, saying, “Wake up, babe, it’s time for the annual ‘Austin Dillon steals a playoff spot with a fluke win after being complete dog shit all year’ race.” It’s clear that Dillon is not consistent with his race wins. But the highlight of this is that he has still managed to make a strong fan follow either way.

Do you think that Austin Dillon will bring home the victory at Richmond? Share your thoughts in the comments below.