Getty Austin Dillon will have to start from the rear at Dover Motor Speedway.
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon is on a mission to win a race and return to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. However, he will have to overcome another obstacle after a crash at Dover Motor Speedway.
The incident occurred early in practice on Saturday, April 29. The Group A drivers headed out onto a green track that had no rubber laid down, and they began struggling with handling. Dillon, in particular, lost control and backed the No. 3 Chevrolet into the Turn 4 wall. He then slid down the track before heading to the infield care center.
Early trouble in Dover practice for Austin Dillon and Daniel Suárez. #NASCARonFS1
This incident did not completely destroy the rear of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro. However, it caused enough damage to force the team to go to a backup car. This means that Dillon will start the Wurth 400 from the rear of the field. He will have to work his way through the field if he wants to fight for stage points or the win.
Multiple Other Drivers Lost Control During the Practice Session
GettyAustin Dillon prepares for a race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The former Daytona 500 winner was not the only driver that lost control of his stock car during the practice session at Dover Motor Speedway. He was just the only one that had to go to a backup car.
Daniel Suarez also spun early in Group A practice. He lost control of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the same area and began to slide. Suarez was able to keep the car out of the wall, so the only damage done was to the tires.
Group B also had an early spin from another member of the Chevrolet team. Erik Jones spun in the same spot on the track where Dillon and Suarez spun before him. He was able to keep the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet Camaro out of the wall. Like Suarez, Jones just had to limp his stock car back to pit road on ruined tires.
Rain washed out qualifying, which took away the opportunity for Jones and Suarez to fight for a spot near the front of the pack after their issues in practice. Instead, NASCAR set the lineup with its metric that takes into consideration the points standings, the fastest lap from the previous race, and the finishing order of the previous race.
Suarez will line up on the eighth row. He will be next to Spire Motorsports driver Ty Dillon. Jones will line up on the sixth row. He will take the green flag next to Stewart-Haas Racin’s Kevin Harvick.
The Track Surface Creates Concerns for Multiple Drivers
The spins were only a glimpse of the issues that multiple drivers were having during practice. Tyler Reddick was vocal about a loose No. 45 Toyota Camry after the session while pole-sitter Kyle Busch said that the No. 8 team just didn’t have the right balance on his Chevrolet Camaro.
There were several drivers that made comments about how the track was green. This is understandable considering that the Cup Series cars were the first on the track. Rainfall on Friday, April 28, washed out practice and qualifying for both ARCA and the Xfinity Series. It also forced NASCAR to postpone the ARCA race until the late afternoon of April 29.
The track being green meant that the teams dealt with “extreme” tire wear. Harvick, in particular, told PRN that all of the right-side tires were bald and that the drivers will need more tires if they have to race on a green track once again.
“Yeah, I mean you would like to hope that after today it gets rubbered up,” Busch added. “The Xfinity race getting out there and hopefully being able to lay some rubber down, but who knows with the weather tomorrow. If it rains and washes all that off, you start over with the Cup race.
“So if we’re going to be on a green track, it’s going to be a bit rough to start. Probably need a competition caution. Don’t ask me what lap number to put it on because I don’t want to be the one that’s on the hook for what lap — over or under — that the tires will blow. But yeah, you’re definitely going to need a competition caution or two.”