NASCAR XFINITY Series - Boyd Gaming 300
March 7th, 2015 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Richard Childress Racing's Austin Dillon drove the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet to Victory Lane in dominating fashion Saturday afternoon in the Boyd's Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dillon posted the fastest time during NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying, placing the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet on the front row for the start of the 200-lap event.
Dillon lead the way for 183 laps, only relinquishing the top spot during green-flag pit stops, but had to hold off Ryan Blaney down the stretch to secure the Xfinity Series race win.
I'm so proud of this No. 33 Rheem Racing team. They worked hard all weekend and gave me a fast Chevrolet. Nick (Harrison, crew chief) made some great calls during the race and kept us out front. I can't thank everyone at RCR and ECR Engines enough for all their hard work. - Austin Dillon
"When you have something as good as this, you just don't want to mess it up," Dillon said. "It was a heck of a last two laps. I was just trying not to overdrive and trying not to make mistakes."
It was the third win of Dillon's career, but first since 2012, when he ran full-time in NASCAR's second tier series. Now in the Sprint Cup Series, Dillon runs only select races for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series.
He said he enjoyed racing Blaney over the closing laps for the win. "I'm glad it ended like that, those final laps, those are the ones you remember," Dillon said.
Dillon used a big block to thwart one attempt at a pass, and Blaney had just one final lap to try again. He looked high and tried to pass Dillon on the outside, but couldn't get around the Chevrolet. Then Blaney bobbled coming out of the third turn to ruin his shot at the win.
Dillon was shocked at how quickly Blaney caught him.
"The 22 put a heck of a charge on, I didn't know he had tires," Dillon said. "It was like `Man, where did he come from?' It was like he had a jet pack."
Dillon is the first driver since 2002 to win the XFINITY Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the pole position, and fourth overall.
Start - 1, Finish - 1, Laps Led - 183, Points - 0
