Austin Dillon will take on a fill-in role for Iowa Speedway this weekend as NASCAR returns to a track where he has extensive experience.
Dillon will drive the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro in Saturday's race (4:30 p.m. ET on CW) as Austin Hill serves a one-race suspension. NASCAR announced on Tuesday that it had suspended the full-time Xfinity Series driver for violating its member code of conduct. Hill hooked Aric Almirola into the outside wall at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
NASCAR deemed this hook intentional. Elton Sawyer, SVP of Competition, later told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that this incident fell into a "bucket very similar" to Bubba Wallace hooking Kyle Larson into the wall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022.
Richard Childress Racing announced shortly after NASCAR released the penalty report that the team would not appeal. It would accept the penalty and just move forward with Dillon serving as the fill-in for one week.
This race weekend at Iowa marks Dillon's second Xfinity start of the season. He joined the lineup at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, and he finished 13th in the No. 3 Boot Barn Chevrolet.
This weekend's race at Iowa Speedway will be Dillon's seventh Xfinity start at the .875-mile track. Although this will be his first outing there as a fill-in driver.
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
While Dillon crashed in his Iowa debut in 2009, he posted an average finish of 7.0 in the following five races. He finished 10th or better in four races and fourth or better in three races. He did not reach victory lane, but he led 376 total laps in his last three starts at Iowa Speedway.
This includes 207 laps led in 2013 after he started from the pole. Dillon led the race with 11 laps to go, but he ultimately lost it to newlywed Trevor Bayne. Dillon settled for a second-place finish, which remains his best finish at Iowa Speedway.
Dillon actually went winless in 2013, but he won the championship over Sam Hornish Jr. by three points. Now, he will return to Iowa Speedway as he tries to get the elusive Xfinity Series win to kick off his weekend.