Austin Dillon made sure the return of the iconic No. 3 to Sprint Cup Series racing would be one to remember in the 2014 Daytona 500 next Sunday.
Austin Dillon celebrates winning the Daytona 500 pole Sunday at Daytona International Speedway (Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Dillon, the grandson of Richard Childress Racing owner Richard Childress, won the pole in qualifying Sunday for next week’s Daytona 500.
Dillon, a Sprint Cup Series, rookie, will drive the No. 3 this year, a number made famous in NASCAR by the late Dale Earnhardt. Nobody has run the number in the series since Earnhard was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500.
“You want to perform with the No. 3; everyone wants to see it perform,” said Dillon, who won the pole with a lap of 45.914 seconds (196.019) around the 2.5-mile tri-oval. “It’s a long season … and this is one of the top points. You want to carry that momentum going forward. I just have to stay grounded and have fun.”
Dillon joins Loy Allen Jr. (1994), Mike Skinner (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2002) and Danica Patrick (2013) to win the Daytona 500 as a rookie.
“As far as starting the year off with a pole right here, it brings some momentum into our season already to show that RCR cars have speed, and I’m so happy to be working with [crew chief Gil Martin] and all of our guys,” Dillon said. “I sat down at the test at Nashville we had, and it was fun just to sit back and watch them work. They’re so experienced and good at what they do. I know I’m the young guy out of the group, the rookie of the group, and I really think I’m going to learn a lot this year from these guys.”
Martin Truex Jr. was second in qualifying. Only Dillon and Truex secured their starting spots for the Daytona 500. The remaining 41 starting spots will be set during Thursday’s twin qualifying races.
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