Austin Dillon hasn’t lived up to expectations, has he? When he made his Cup Series debut driving for Mike Curb at Kansas Speedway in the Fall of 2011, expectations were at an all-time high that he would lead the team back to glory. After all, Dillon had 11 NASCAR Cup Series starts in 2013, concurrent with a championship-winning season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. So much was the belief in Austin Dillon’s abilities that he was handed the iconic No. 3 Richard Childress car, which was driven by none other than Dale Earnhardt.

However, Austin Dillon is now in his 11th full-time season and has failed to live up to the standards that he had once set for himself. With just four wins in his entire Cup Series career, Richard Childress’ grandson faced a new low in 2023, when he finished the season in 29th place. Little did he know that it could get even worse.

Austin Dillon struggling to break away from the slump

Fans didn’t think it was possible, but as things stand, Austin Dillon’s 2024 Cup Series campaign has been even worse than last season. The season might not be over yet, but Dillon is currently 32nd in the driver standings, with only 294 points after 22 races. The 34-year-old is one of only three drivers in the Cup Series who haven’t led a lap all season and has been forced to retire three times already. With no poles, wins, and an uninspiring average finish of 24.545, it doesn’t look like the Richard Childress Racing driver will be turning his fortunes around anytime soon.

In a video uploaded by Eric Estepp, the NASCAR YouTuber spoke about Austin Dillon’s fortunes in the 2024 season and the possible reason behind his slump. He said, “Austin Dillon has been shockingly terrible this season. I know last season wasn’t good either..2024 has been worse in nearly every major statistical category except maybe DNFs. And last season, before this season, was by far, the worst year of Austin Dillon’s career… From 2016 to 2022, you could count on Austin Dillon to often win a race, and sneak into the postseason. What’s happened? What is going on?

Chevrolet, who have been using an older car in the 2024 Cup Series, started the season strongly. The reason for that is the car manufacturer had momentum on their side from the 2023 season, as well as the data needed to utilize their cars to their maximum potential. Eric further stated, “It goes back, I think partially, to what I talked about with Ross Chastain and Trackhouse. Most of Chevrolet, outside Hendrick, is struggling this year. Down year for RCR, down year for Trackhouse. Stenhouse and JTG have taken a step back. Spire, you know, they have invested a lot, they are just treading water. Austin Dillon perhaps is a victim of Richard Childress Racing not being at their best. After how bad last season was, I did not expect it to get worse. Somehow it did. That is shocking.”

This came during a time when Ford and Toyota had introduced new cars, which meant getting them up and running to their maximum capability took time. However, now that Chevrolet’s competitors have managed to accumulate enough data to get the best out of their cars, teams under the Chevrolet umbrella have been struggling.

The only exception has been Hendrick Motorsports. NASCAR’s most successful team in history has the resources to overcome hurdles that other teams cannot while utilizing data to get every last drop of performance from their Chevrolet Camaro to remain competitive for the championship. As for Austin Dillon, his struggles in the 2024 Cup Series season aren’t down to just his car. The 34-year-old must take responsibility for his underperformance, especially after Richard Childress Racing reunited Austin Dillon with his former crew chief Justin Alexander.

Dillon’s struggles are down to a variety of factors, and each of them has significantly contributed to his season so far. Apart from Chevrolet’s woes and Dillon’s underperformance, both Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon have been enduring a hard time at Richard Childress Racing so far. With four races to go before playoffs begin in Atlanta Motor Speedway, there is a good chance both the drivers fail to make it to the playoffs, and in Dillon’s case, it would be for the second year running. However, while the team struggles in the Cup Series, Richard Childress has plenty to be optimistic about in the Xfinity Series.

But Jesse Love and Austin Hill light up the Xfinity Series

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Richard Childress Racing is having a nightmare of a 2024 Cup Series season, with both Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon yet to register a single victory in 22 races. With only four regular-season races to go, the time is running out for either driver to make it into the playoffs, which has highlighted the many issues the team has experienced this season. Lack of speed and reliability issues have been some of the major factors that have held back its drivers, and the retirement of the team’s Vice President Andy Petree hasn’t helped.

However, the team has contrasting fortunes in the Xfinity Series, with both Jesse Love and Austin Hill showing great consistency. As things stand, Austin Hill is currently third in the standings, with two wins in 20 races, having secured eight top-five results so far. Similarly, Jesse Love has been in tremendous form as well, with five top-five results, nine top-ten finishes, and a win this season, propelling him to 7th place in the driver standings.

With both drivers comfortably in the playoffs, Richard Childress will be optimistic about his team’s future. If either one wins the Xfinity Series this year, there is a realistic chance they will earn a spot in the playoffs. In which case, it will be interesting to see which driver will lose their Cup Series seat to make way for one of them. With six races remaining before playoffs begin, there is also a chance that Love or Hill could increase their win tally before the postseason begins at Kansas Speedway.

Do you think Austin Dillon should remain at Richard Childress Racing in 2025? Let us know in the comments!