Denny Hamlin feels some sympathy for what Austin Dillon has gone by means of on a week-to-week foundation to date in 2024.
Maybe no driver has handled worse luck than the Richard Childress Racing wheelman by means of the primary 4 races of NASCAR’s season. It looks like the No. 3 driver has been caught up in wrecks of another person’s doing every time he will get to the observe, and he hasn’t been in a position to really compete.
After Dillon’s day was ruined by a wreck as soon as once more at Phoenix, Hamlin took a while on his newest Actions Detrimental podcast to elaborate on what the motive force goes by means of, and whether or not Dillon’s luck can flip round in 2024.
“ARCA brakes. He had ARCA brakes,” Hamlin said, relating to Dillon’s wreck. “Austin Dillon has had some crap luck. I really like Austin. He’s individual. Austin will get a number of s—, as a result of he’s racing for his grandfather. Individuals assume he’s silver spoon. Austin Dillon is a superb individual. He’s a unbelievable human. Doesn’t deserve a number of the flack that he will get. Man, he’s had a nasty run at it.”
Evidently, Hamlin believes a number of Dillon’s misfortune comes from the place he’s operating within the pack, because it’s the place a lot of the wrecks happen. Nevertheless, it’s not merely a driver situation, as his crew as a complete have been missing in 2024.
“The final yr, simply an unlimited quantity of DNFs. I feel a number of that’s simply due to the place you’re operating,” Hamlin defined. “I feel whenever you get again in direction of the again of the pack, center of the pack, you’re going to get in additional wrecks. So you understand, he’s on a nasty run, for certain. You understand he needs to show round. That child’s obtained drive. He’s as aggressive as I’m, perhaps extra. He’s actually extra athletic than I’m.
“I play a number of sports activities with Austin Dillon, and he’s aggressive. So it’s not like he’s completely satisfied operating the place he’s operating. However we noticed as a complete, RCR simply struggled mightily, mightily this weekend.”
As Hamlin talked about, Dillon’s RCR teammate Kyle Busch has additionally dealt together with his fair-share of struggles, so it’s not an issue distinctive to the No. 3. The crew as a complete must take a protracted look within the mirror and work out what’s happening.
Regardless, Austin Dillon needs an opportunity to point out what he can do, and Denny Hamlin believes within the driver’s expertise. We’ll see if Dillon will get a shot to point out it over the following couple of weeks, with some higher luck coming his manner probably.
