CONCORD, N.C. -- There is no denying that having the opportunity to compete in the Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is fun. Yet, Austin Dillon is choosing to do so because he sees an advantage he can gain.
The extra time on track is still so crucial in the era when practice sessions are so short.
"I also think there's an advantage to getting laps before we start practice," Dillon said in response to a question from AltDriver.
"So like, even though the (Xfinity) car does drive completely different (than the Cup car), setups aren't going to matter, air pressure, none of that, but the first moment you hit the track, and I can see it visually, there's a gain to when I get in the Cup car."
Not that Charlotte Motor Speedway is foreign territory to Dillon; he has extensive experience at NASCAR's home track across all three national series.
He has scored wins at the 1.5-mile track in both Xfinity and Cup. This includes the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a track where Dillon has proven he can win, yet that doesn't mean he doesn't need a refresher. After all, he hasn't competed in an Xfinity race since the 2023 season, and it's been a full year since he took on the oval track in a Cup Series car.
He still wants to feel the bumps in the turns and pick out his sight lines for the different braking zones. He wants to see how the surface has aged before the other drivers get track time.
"Visually, I should have a little more confidence," Dillon said. "I've run thousands of laps here, but just from an edge of everybody else is going to be hitting Turn 1 with less time on it that day, there's an advantage, I think, to seeing the track for the first time."
This advantage likely won't last long. Dillon knows that other drivers and teams will get up to speed as they log laps during Saturday's practice and qualifying sessions.
But a chance remains that he will be able to take these extra laps and use them to gain ground early in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET on Prime Video). This could set him up to score stage points early, something he has struggled to do this season.
Dillon only has four stage points scored this season, his first with crew chief Richard Boswell calling the shots. Sunday's race provides even more opportunities to add to this total, considering that it has an extra stage.
Of course, Dillon wants more than points. He wants to take any advantage gained behind the wheel of the Xfinity Series car, and he wants to use it to score the win that matters far more to him than others.
"Every win matters, but this one is home," Dillon said. "We want to win at home. You know, if our PBR (Professional Bull Riders) teams are playing, we want to win our home game. This is a home match, so we want to win this."