At one level early in Dillon’s Cup profession, he made no secret the Virginia brief monitor was his “least favourite” and he wouldn’t be upset if NASCAR dropped it off the schedule solely.
In his first 9 races on the monitor with Richard Childress Racing, Dillon didn’t end higher than 13th and 4 occasions completed exterior the top-20.
In fall 2018, Dillon and his No. three Chevrolet staff immediately appeared to show issues round, posting a sixth-place end which he repeated within the spring 2019 race. After a 22nd-place end in fall 2019, Dillon produced his finest end but – fourth – in final season’s lone race.
“It was my least favourite, I will provide you with that. I sucked there in the beginning of my profession. I dreaded going there,” Dillon stated. “I stated I wanted Richmond would simply not be a monitor anymore. Someway, over time, I’ve made it into a very good place for us.
“We had a very robust run final yr there and I sped on pit street within the playoffs. So, it was what sort of locked us into that second spherical, was going to Richmond and having a very good run (after Darlington).
“It’s like my favourite monitor on the earth (now).”
Dillon, 30, may have an excellent higher head begin this weekend due to battling and clawing to a 14th-place end final week at Martinsville, Va.
With no qualifying this weekend, NASCAR’s beginning method takes under consideration a driver’s most up-to-date end, which can give Dillon a beginning spot of 11th this weekend.
“We actually checked out every thing we did final yr and didn’t change a complete lot. However we went again over some issues within the simulator, and I believe it must be a very good one,” Dillon stated.
“Clearly, beginning 11th helps. We’ve a very good pit stall and we’re simply going to go after it. We have to lock ourselves into the playoffs or higher ourselves in factors this weekend.”
Stable begin to 2021 season
Dillon has had a strong begin to the 2021 season. By way of eight races, he has one top-five, two top-10s and 5 finishes of 14th or higher. He at the moment sits 12th within the sequence standings.
“I believe we’ve had some actually good runs this yr. Coming as much as that (quarter) mark within the season, we’re in a very good place so far as factors goes,” Dillon stated. “I positively want I might have the end again on the (Daytona) Highway Course. However you need to transfer on from a few of these issues.
“It’s a protracted season; there’s no excellent season. I really feel like we have to preserve adjusting and making our stuff higher. When the time comes the place we must be our greatest, we’re the very best. So, we simply preserve doing our factor.
“Clearly, our automobile has had velocity since final yr and we’ve been capable of preserve a few of that. There are particular locations the place I really feel like we are able to get higher throughout. However we’re in a great place.
“There are some guys again there in factors which can be checked out as favorites and are simply in a nasty place. We’re in a greater place than what we have now been at this level within the season earlier than.”