CHARLOTTE -- Every Cup Series driver has faith in himself entering the playoffs, but Austin Dillon is in a different category as he aims to capitalize on his recent momentum.
The No. 3 team of Richard Childress Racing started the season with some struggles, but it steadily made progress before delivering a win at Richmond Raceway. Now, this group heads to Darlington Raceway full of confidence.
"When momentum hits in the sports worlds, you've got to take advantage of it," Dillon said during Playoff Media Day. "Momentum is fickle.
"So, you got to take advantage of it when you're hot, and I feel like our team's a little hot right now and we don't want to cool down. I think the picture changes and evolves throughout the playoffs, but there's no one running away with it."
Dillon enters his sixth playoff appearance within striking distance of the Round of 12. He's the 15th seed overall, but he is only two points below the playoff cutline. This is by no means an insurmountable hurdle for the driver with six career Cup Series wins.
As Dillon sees it, if he overcomes qualifying and executes on race day, he can easily work his way up the leaderboard and advance to the next round of the playoffs.
He has the momentum; he just needs to avoid the mistakes that take out other drivers.
"I'm just really happy with where we're at as an organization because first quarter of the season, I would have said differently," Dillon explained.
"But now I feel confident. I feel good that we can execute and make a good push. We're one of the last teams to win on a regular oval, so..."
The playoffs are not foreign territory to to Dillon. He has competed in them on the Cup Series level five times before. He finished 11th in the standings in three separate seasons (2017, 2020, 2022).
His goal is to surpass this mark this season after rebounding from early-season struggles. He will just have to first make it through three relatively difficult tracks -- Darlington, Gateway, and Bristol.
Dillon has contended for top-10s and top-fives at all three tracks. His runner-up at Darlington in the 2020 playoffs is his best finish in the opening round of the playoffs.
He has also been eliminated from the playoffs at Bristol due to a massive crash unfolding in front of him, one that collected multiple playoff drivers in 2022.
Dillon has experienced good runs and bad runs alike at the three tracks that make up the Round of 16. This creates a bit of an unpredictability for the No. 3 team, but that is perfectly fine with the Richard Childress Racing driver.
He sees that he has the momentum, and he believes that he can capitalize on it early.
"I would not have chosen any other three tracks," Dillon said about the opening round. "I feel like for our team -- other than if you could throw a Richmond or Homestead maybe in there -- of tracks, those three are in my top five.
"So, I'm excited for the way the playoffs lay out for us."