It is very evident that the Richard Childress Racing team has been struggling this season so far. However, things seem to be finally falling in place, and according to Austin Dillon, victory is not far away.

During the All-Star race at Dover Motor Speedway, the No. 3 driver started the race in 11th place but managed to fight his way up the grid and finished just short of the podium. His fourth-place finish at the Monster Mile was his season-best, albeit in an exhibition race.

While talking to Frontstretch in a post-race interview, he was questioned about what's been clicking at the team. Austin Dillon replied, saying, "RCR never gives up. We're workers, we work hard, and one day hopeful we're doing that (burnout) here soon." 

For the past two years, RCR has been struggling to produce decent results. So much so that fans have started speaking about how Kyle Busch needs to find a new team to help him get wins once again. However, at Watkins Glen, things seem to have improved, with Dillon managing to get his first top ten this season and Kyle Busch getting his second.

Some have chalked up this newfound momentum as a part of the crew chief swap for Busch earlier this month. And since we know how good a relationship he shares with Dillon, who publicly vowed to help him at Daytona last year amid a slump, the support can go the other way as well.

The team seemed to have managed to keep the momentum going at Dover. Unfortunately, Kyle Busch could only finish in 17th after being collected in the nine-car crash in the first stage. 

Austin Dillon praises Kyle Busch’s support after a strong Dover finish 

For Austin Dillon, his fourth-place finish at Dover was his first Top Five since his victory at Richmond last year. RCR gave him a good setup for the race, with an uncompromised long run pace.

Post-race, he also credited Kyle Busch for aiding this turnaround for RCR at Dover. Dillon said:

"Dover Motor Speedway is historically our worst track, but we were able to lean on our teammate, Kyle Busch, this weekend, and that really helped. I feel like we’re trending upwards. We were 34th in practice, so we chopped, cut, and rebuilt our No. 3 Chevrolet to go to what the No. 8 team ran. It’s really nice to have a teammate that you can rely on."

With the two back-to-back top 10 finishes for Richard Childress Racing, it seems like something has clicked into place. However, they will now face their biggest challenge of the recent past, with the Coca-Cola 600 up next.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak