Austin Dillon buzzes to NASCAR pole at Auto Club Speedway

Austin Dillon celebrates after qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 18, 2016 in Fontana, California.
Austin Dillon celebrates after qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 18, 2016 in Fontana, California.
Austin Dillon celebrates after qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 18, 2016 in Fontana, California.

Richard Childress Racing finally has something to celebrate. After many races of frustration, RCR driver Austin Dillon won the pole Friday night at Auto Club Speedway for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Auto Club 400. Dillon will lead the field to the green in the iconic number 3 Chevy with teammate Ryan Newman in fourth behind him. Former Childress driver Kevin Harvick will start second with new track record holder Denny Hamlin third.

The pole was the second for Dillon his first coming at Daytona in 2014. Friday’s qualifying results also marks the first time since Atlanta in 2008 that two RCR cars will start in the top five.

“It means everything,” Dillon said. “That is what I said down the backstretch.

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Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.