After Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon recorded the fastest lap during practice at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, NASCAR congratulated Dillon on his performance. Fans were not happy and expressed their feelings on social media. Someone also said they gave Kyle Busch the wrong car.
In today’s Cup Series arena, Busch is the winningest driver at the Virginia circuit with six wins to his name. However, he finished 20th in this practice session. Meanwhile, another fan predicted that Busch could score his seventh win at the 0.75-mile circuit on Sunday. “It only means one thing, @KyleBusch is going to win Richmond,” @LeviSua_17 said. Below are the reactions of fans on social networks:
“Austin D**krider strikes again,” @nascarfanboi said. “He’ll start tomorrow in the first round,” @RyanHolman88 said. “I still don’t feel comfortable with the idea of anyone using this number,” @ppixley85 said. Dillon drives the No. 1 Chevrolet. 1. 3 Richard Childress Racing, the same number driven by the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. at its peak. He is currently 32nd in the Cup standings with 294 points to his name. The main event, the Cook Out 400, starts at 6 p.m. Fans can watch the 300-mile race live on USA Network and NBC Sports. Radio updates will be available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Austin Dillon’s tire strategy shined through Hendrick Motorsports’ struggles
NASCAR gave the drivers two choices: (1) start the race with the “prime” tires and save the softer, faster “option” tires for those times when they needed them, or (2) start with the ” option”, to gain positions at the start of the race, then switch to stronger tyres.
Teams were allocated three sets of regular tires and one set of “optional” tires. Dillon chose to start with the softer tires. As a result, it reached a speed of 118,953 miles per hour, which remains the fastest during the test. His teammate Busch appeared to have hit the wall, but his No. 8 RCR Camaro suffered no serious damage. 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. and NASCAR Cup Series rookie Zane Smith all round the top five.
However, it was an uneventful session for Hendrick Motorsports, with Alex Bowman leading the way in 27th. Kyle Larson, who won this year’s Brickyard 400, finished 32nd, followed by William Byron in 35th and 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott in 36th. However, JGR icon Denny Hamlin took the pole in qualifying, posting a speed of 118.162 mph and outpacing teammate and 2023 Cup Series regular season champion Martin Truex Jr. This means Dillon will start in P6 on the third row alongside Bell.
