FITTING IN: Dillon has adjusted well to spotlight

By: By Lou Bezjak | MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
Published: August 12, 2010

It's hard for Austin Dillon to escape the spotlight.

That happens when you're driving for a famous grandfather and carrying one of the sport's most cherished numbers.

But Dillon, the 20-year-old grandson of Richard Childress and the driver of the black Chevrolet No. 3 made famous by Dale Earnhardt Sr., has done his part to live up to the pressure in his rookie season in the Camping World Truck Series.

He already has a win to his credit, at Iowa last month; he's leading the rookie-of-the-year race; and he is in contention for the Trucks title. He'll enter Saturday's Too Tough to Tame 200 at Darlington Raceway in fifth place in the standings, 288 points behind leader Todd Bodine.

"I think I put the pressure on myself if anything. I am racing for my grandpa, and you want to do him proud," Dillon said Tuesday. "You are running the No. 3, and you want to challenge yourself and run well for him and the company. This year has run really well for us."

The plan is for Dillon to finish this year in the Trucks series and run a full-time schedule next year. He also might run a few races in the Nationwide Series.

Dillon grew up in a racing family. His grandfather is one of the Cup Series' top owners, and his father, Mike, drove seven years in the Busch Series and is the general manager at RCR.

Still, racing took a back seat early in Dillon's life as he concentrated on baseball and basketball. He was the starting second baseman on the Southwest Forsyth team that reached the Little League World Series in 2002, and he later played junior-varsity basketball but gave up both sports to concentrate on racing.

"I got to the point where I wanted to do something different. I knew racing was a part of my family," Dillon said.

So Dillon and his younger brother Ty, who drives in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, tested some cars at a quarter-mile track, and Austin's career was off and running. He started driving Bandolero cars in 2005 and eventually moved up to racing dirt Late Models and other smaller series before making his first Trucks series start last season.

"It has been a full blast and non-stop racing," Dillon said. "I always was watching my dad and my grandpa at the racetrack. Now, I am the one driving and doing interviews."

Dillon maintains a busy schedule with racing, testing and appearances, but he's also working on a college degree and recently wrapped up his freshman year at High Point University, where he's majoring in communications.

Lou Bezjak writes for the Florence (S.C.) Morning News.