Austin Dillon is a driver with an evident championship pedigree. He has tasted the sweet champagne of victory twice, once in the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and two years later after an exciting battle for the coveted NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. He’s even conquered the prestigious Daytona 500 in 2018. At first glance, the #3 driver for Richard Childress Racing seems destined for anything but greatness.

But the 2024 season has thrown a wrench into his well-oiled machine. Two heart-stopping crashes in the early laps of the first two races have left him in a tailspin, his championship dreams hanging by a thread. Is this a temporary blip, or the start of a downward spiral?

Early crashes leave Austin Dillon frustrated and looking ahead to Las Vegas

The Ambetter Health 400 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday witnessed a chaotic multi-car crash on Lap 2, enveloping 14 cars in a tangle of metal and rubber. Among those caught in the chaos was Austin Dillon, whose #3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 bore the brunt of the collision before anyone else. The incident marked the second consecutive disappointment for Dillon, following a similar fate in the previous race on a ‘drafting-style track.’

Dillon, who had high hopes for a strong start to the season, expressed his frustration on Instagram recently, lamenting in the caption of his most recent post, “Once again, I don’t know what to say. We never got to show what our Breztri Chevy had today at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The right side of the diffuser broke off in the first wreck on lap 2. The guys worked hard to get it back, but we couldn’t overcome the lack of downforce. We tried really hard to race again but without the right side of the diffuser to lean on we slapped the wall again. Salvaged a finish but can’t wait to get to Vegas.

Dillon’s struggles paint a stark contrast to his teammate, Kyle Busch. Busch, driving the #8 car for RCR, seems to be on a roll. He secured a respectable 12th-place finish at Daytona, etching his name in the history books with the second-closest finish in NASCAR history, a mere 0.007 seconds behind runners-up Ryan Blaney, who finished a nail-biting 0.003 seconds behind winner Daniel Suarez. Rowdy cemented his dominance at the reconfigured 1.52-mile super-speedway by claiming victory in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Atlanta as well, marking his 65th win in the series.

Amid Austin Dillon Getting the Worse of Kyle Busch Effect, HMS Legend Names Richard Childress’ Successor

Jeff Burton: Early season crashes put NASCAR drivers in a ‘hole’

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Nevertheless, Dillion’s sentiments on social media find resonance with NASCAR veterans such as ‘The Mayor’ Jeff Burton, who, alongside fellow analyst Steve Letarte, discussed the struggles of several drivers, including Dillon, on Motorsports on NBC.

“It’s time to worry,” Burton acknowledged Matt Snider’s initial question, “but the fact of the matter is this is a game of math, and points matter. You know, you have multiple teams you mentioned them, that are in a hole, you know, Austin Dillon, not of his doing in my opinion. It was just situations he’s been in. Two wrecks in the first two races within the first six laps, and you know, he’s back in, you know, 36th in points.”

Burton went on to emphasize the domino effect these early setbacks can have on a driver’s mentality: “Momentum matters coming out of Daytona mattered coming out now you have two drafting-style racetracks that you’re coming out of and some people came out of there saying, ‘Hey, we’re really good or we’re okay,’ and some came out of there saying ‘Oh my God!’ We are in the middle of a point race right now and they’re big names and it’s real, it’s real where you go to races and you feel like you’re afraid to make a mistake.”

The upcoming races in Las Vegas and beyond will be crucial for Dillon and the #3 team to salvage their season. Can they overcome the early deficit and string together consistent finishes, or will the pressure and mental strain prove too much to overcome?

Despite the Wreck Fest, Atlanta Breaks Records and Driver Approval Goes Through the Roof