The Dillon Brothers

The future has a lot in store for Richard Childress' grandsons Austin and Ty Dillon. Throughout the history of NASCAR racing family members have often competed against each other. We've seen father and son, brothers on seperate racing teams, you name it. In the years past we have witnessed duos like the Burton brothers, the Waltrip brothers, the Labonte brothers, the Wallace brothers, and the Busch brothers battling amongst the best stock car drivers in the world. Now it is time to introduce the Dillon boys.

We have approached a period in NASCAR where Richard Childress has a difficult time staying on top of his competition. When you have power house teams like Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing assembling 4-car teams, adding on sponsors, and working daily with thousands of employees on their race cars your luck is eventually going to run out. Then along came Austin Dillon.



Austin displayed a tremendous amount of talent and determination in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving the #3 truck for Childress Racing and winning the Championship in his second Truck series season in 2011. The plan for Austin's NASCAR career appeared to be two years in the trucks, two years in the Xfinity Series, and then on to the big stage with the big boys. After finally earning that elusive first Xfinity Series Championship in 2013 Austin was all signed up and ready to go drive the #3 Chevy for his grandfather. However making the transition from the Xfinity Series to the Sprint Cup Series has been known to be extremely difficult. For Austin it was no different. After finishing 20th in the final standings in Sprint Cup competition in 2014 in his heart-pumping rookie year, Austin has elected to participate in more of the Xfinity Series events to help provide him with a better understanding on how his Sprint Cup series car will feel during the Sprint Cup race. Keep in mind the Xfinity series race is always held one day before the Sprint Cup race unless mother nature steps in and forces everyone to wait until Monday.



Kyle Larson was involved in the majority of the Xfinity Series events last season and getting that extra experience in another race car at the track over the weekend certainly gave him the edge he needed to win 2014 Rookie of the Year. Now that Austin is attempting the same task this season look for him to climb his way into the Top 10 more than he has before and make a run at the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He currently sits 27th in the standings but a couple top 5 finishes will absolutely change that for the better. I think the confidence and momentum for Austin after winning the Xfinity series Las Vegas event and snagging his first Top 10 finish on the Sprint Cup side of things at Bristol will only increase and keep us on our toes.


After an exciting battle right down to the wire for last year's NASCAR Xfinity series championship and finishing fourth in the standings respectively, Ty Dillon has proved to us once again that he is getting better and better after every race. I would like to take this time to point out that Ty has never had such a successful beginning to an Xfinity series season than he has in 2015. After finishing 3rd in the Xfinity Series' version of the Daytona 500, one spot in front of older brother Austin, Ty has continued to put himself in position to win races and as a result has walked away with 3 Top 5 finishes in the first 8 Xfinity Series races. With an average finish of 7.6 he has shown major improvement at a very young age.

I have a feeling that Ty Dillon is sick of being the Dillon brother that is yet to win a Championship in one of the three main series' in NASCAR. Just like his older brother Austin, it appears the career plan for Ty is two years of racing the trucks and two years or more in the Xfinity series. Ty has been fortunate to receive the "hand-me-downs" from Richard Childress that Austin once piloted. Despite being in a fast truck, Ty failed to capture the Camping World Truck series championship in both of his full-time seasons. Now that his older brother has made it to the big stage in the Sprint Cup series, Ty is in his second full-time Xfinity series season and has shown tremendous racing abilities each and every week so far. Because of his consistent top 10 finishes, Ty finds himself the current points leader and has realized the only two drivers that might catch him are Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher.



Ty has the talent and the ambition, but it will simply take time. Championships do not develop over night. Halfway through the 2014 Xfinity series season Ty Dillon made history when he won the Xfinity series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and got to kiss the bricks on the same weekend as Jeff Gordon. Indianapolis opened in 1909 and has an incredible legacy behind it. What a moment that was for this young man. It is spectacular moments like that where you find that extra boost of courage and determination which leads you towards only bettering yourself as a driver. We are 8 races deep into the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity series season. My prediction is Ty Dillon will do the impossible and hold off Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, Darrell Wallace Jr, and Regan Smith to capture the Championship. Look out Busch brothers! There is a new brothers duo coming your way.

Photos by: LAT Photographic
Written by: Tyler McMurter

Drivers Turning Up The Heat in 2015

#4 Kevin Harvick


Driver of the #4 Stewart/Haas Chevy Kevin Harvick celebrates.

    If you want to talk about a driver with "destiny" written all over him look no further than the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup series Champion Kevin Harvick. Lets take a stroll down memory lane. Harvick made a big splash in the late 1990's in what is now known as the NASCAR Xfinity series driving for Richard Childress Racing, which at the time had Dale Earnhardt driving the #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup series.

Before long it became clear this young man had the talent, the patience, and the resourceful information from experienced teammates to succeed and win races. After the traggic passing of the legendary Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 it was Kevin Harvick that was given the call to drive the #29 car in Sprint Cup competition. Dale's car and team, but a fresh number. The number 3 from then on wasn't used by any driver in the Sprint Cup series until Richard Childress' grandson and 2013 Xfinity series Champion Austin Dillon made his full-time Sprint Cup debut last year in 2014. This is the most prestigious car to be sitting in on race day back in this day. I can only imagine how overwhelming the pressure could have been for Harvick. After all those are big shoes to fill and on very unfortunate circumstances.


A heart-warming gift from the heavens came on Sunday March 11, 2001 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After a side-by-side, bumper to bumper finish Kevin Harvick edged 4-time Champion Jeff Gordon to win the 500 mile event. It just so happens that this race was the third Sprint Cup race Kevin participated in. Number 3. Many loyal NASCAR fans believe that it was meant to be. Some say it was a sign from Mr. Earnhardt himself letting everyone know that he is alright and that his spiritual presence may forever be at Daytona International Speedway.

   To avoid getting into a very complicated topic I would just like to say if this is somehow the case me and i'm fairly certain millions of others wouldn't have it any other way. The memories that Earnhardt has made at that facility have helped shape NASCAR racing into what it is today. That elusive Daytona 500 victory finally came in 1998 in his 21st attempt. The fans in attendance for the Daytona 500 every year since 2001 go completely silent and hold up their hand with three fingers up in respect for Earnhardt. It's amazing.


   After years of success in both the Xfinity series and Sprint Cup series with Richard Childress Racing including several wins and consistent Top-10 finishes Kevin Harvick made a bold decision that would drastically affect the rest of his career forever. Haas Automation founder Gene Haas merged his team and resources with 3-time Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart and formed a team called Stewart/Haas Racing in 2009. Kevin Harvick decided to "jump ships" to Stewart/Haas last year for the beginning of the 2014 Sprint Cup season. After minor mechanical issues or part failures placed Harvick towards the bottom of the Standings early in 2014, "Happy" Harvick eventually earned himself multiple wins in the Xfinity Series and winning five races in Sprint Cup action on his way to winning his first Sprint Cup Series Championship. He is a force to be reckoned with. Get used to seeing the #4 car in the lead pack. After the first 9 races of 2015 Kevin has 2 victories (Las Vegas & Phoenix), 7 Top 5 finishes, 8 Top 10 finishes, and finds himself on top of the Sprint Cup series standings with a 33 point gap on Penske Racing driver Joey Logano. Just like what his car says, Kevin Harvick has been "Freaky Fast" not only since joining Stewart/Haas Racing, but also since arriving in NASCAR. This is the point in his career where his legendary status can only be heightened.

#10 Danica Patrick

#10 Danica Patrick and #5 Kasey Kahne.

   Another Stewart/Haas Racing driver in the Sprint Cup Series making an impact on the 2015 season is Danica Patrick. Showing significant improvement after last year's disappointing outcome in the final standings, Danica has earned herself 2 Top 10 finishes and has found a way to be consistent as her worst finish is 27th at Las Vegas. It may be early, but it appears that Danica is still in contention for a spot in this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup. In the standings she currently sits 16th and is continuing to show us the positive things that she learned from her previous years here in NASCAR competition. Having powerful resources, fast cars, and being shared valuable information from top notch teammates like Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Tony Stewart has only made Danica's transition from an Indy racer to a NASCAR driver faster.

   Don't get me wrong Danica Patrick still makes the odd error or mis-calculation on the track and either loses a handful of positions or makes minor contact with another car, but her consistency and driving ability in these 400 to 500 mile races has really impressed me. While other drivers are slowly getting frustrated and slowly wearing their cars out Danica appears to be calmly keeping a quick pace sitting mid-pack and on a bad day pulling off a 21st to 27th place finish. This is a huge improvement for that #10 GoDaddy.com racing team. 2015 just might be the year where Danica Patrick makes a big charge up the standings, maybe a win, and maybe securing a spot in the Chase. It's clear she has tracks like Daytona, Talladega, Martinsville, and Bristol figured out. To her advantage if she's a Chase contender later this season two of those four tracks are in the Chase. To be a safe bet on being involved in the Chase she needs to win a race or advance herself up to roughly the top 12 in the standings before the 27th race of the year. All eyes are on the new and improved Danica Patrick.

#78 Martin Truex Jr


Door to door racing at Texas Motor Speedway.

   If I had to announce one driver that I have been the most impressed with so far this season I would tell you without hesitation that it's 2-time Xfinity series champion Martin Truex Jr in the #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet. To open off the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season Truex Jr earned himself 7 straight Top 10 finishes, including a 2nd place finish at Las Vegas, and added a 10th place finish this past weekend at Richmond International Raceway. The Furniture Row Racing team means business this year. They have been competitive in every race so far and as a result they find themselves 3rd in the Sprint Cup standings after the first 9 races. What a remarkable performance.

   

#78 Martin Truex Jr, #14 Tony Stewart, and #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

   When you put an A-class driver like Martin Truex Jr into a car that is backed up by underfunded resources and B-class parts it's going to take some time for things to start working. And the fact that Truex has worked for multiple teams like JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, and Michael Waltrip Racing only increases the knowledge that he brings to the table to any team he signs with. Truex Jr has shown us, in the #56 MWR Toyota in particular, that when placed in a contending car that he's not shy with Top 5 finishes.


  Well, in 2011 Furniture Row Racing stamped their name down in NASCAR history when rookie driver Regan Smith held off a hard-charging Carl Edwards to tame the "lady in black" and win at Darlington. This proved to everyone that without a shadow of a doubt the #78 car can make it to Victory Lane if they have the right combination between the driver and handling setup. After Regan Smith left Furniture Row Racing Kurt Busch climbed aboard and only further proved that statement. Now fast forward to where we are today and we have Martin Truex Jr. Though it is slightly a different format, Martin's Chase experience from 2012 will only beneit him in his quest for the Sprint Cup. While driving the #56 NAPA Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2012 he finished 11th in the final standings. In 2013 Truex Jr missed the Chase and finished 16th in the final standings. And last year was only worse for the 2-time Xfinity series Champion. A successful 2015 season is exactly what this Furniture Row Racing team needs and they are on the right track.

2015 Sprint Cup Series Standings after Race 9 of 36 (Richmond)
1. #4 Kevin Harvick           357 pts 2 wins 8 Top 10's
2. #22 Joey Logano             -33       1 win  8 Top 10's
3. #78 Martin Truex Jr        -42                  8 Top 10's
4. #48 Jimmie Johnson        -58      2 wins 7 Top 10's
5. #2 Brad Keselowski        -74      1 win 6 Top 10's
6. #5 Kasey Kahne              -82                 3 Top 10's
7. #20 Matt Kenseth            -84      1 win 5 Top 10's
8. #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.     -86               5 Top 10's
9. #1 Jamie McMurray         -93               4 Top 10's
10. #24 Jeff Gordon              -94               6 Top 10's
11. #43 Aric Almirola
12. #11 Denny Hamlin                     1 win
13. #27 Paul Menard
14. #15 Clint Bowyer
15. #31 Ryan Newman
16. #10 Danica Patrick
17. #19 Carl Edwards
18. #41 Kurt Busch     1 win
19. #34 & #18 David Ragan
20. #42 Kyle Larson
21. #16 Greg Biffle
22. #47 AJ Allmendinger
23. #13 Casey Mears
24. #3 Austin Dillon
25. #17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

All photos taken by LAT Photographic.
Written by Tyler McMurter.