After last year’s clash at Richmond, triggered by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., which nearly cost Austin Dillon a victory, it appears Dillon is not quite ready to bury the hatchet with the Hyak Motorsports driver. In a recent discussion with Jeff Gluck, Dillon suggested that he feels Stenhouse Jr. often makes things difficult for him on the track.
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In a segment called “12 Questions” with Jeff Gluck, reflecting on a 2012 interview during Dillon’s days in the Xfinity Series, Gluck revisited a question about which drivers Dillon found least enjoyable to race against.
At that time, the #3 Cup driver was named Mike Wallace and Justin Allgaier. Gluck prompted Dillon for his current perspective, inviting an update on his list of less favored competitors.
The RCR driver instantly named Ricky Stenhouse Jr., describing him as a thorn in his side. He explained, “Ricky Stenhouse is a pain. I feel like it’s because we’ve raced around each other so long, but I don’t get it.”
“My brother sometimes, too; he races me as hard as anybody out there, but that’s just brothers. Joey (Logano) and I, after Richmond, have raced each other actually cleaner. So not bad there.”
However, Dillon clarified that he was still competing in the Xfinity Series, his answer would remain unchanged regarding Justin Allgaier.
He added that he still watches those Xfinity races and noted that Allgaier side-drafts really hard and aggressively. Hence, his perspective on Allgaier’s racing style has stayed consistent over the years.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. does not hold high regard for Dillon either
Following Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s apology for his antics at Richmond, tensions flared again during the penultimate race at Martinsville Speedway last year. During the battle, Ty Gibbs and Austin Dillon were unwilling to yield even an inch on the track, with Stenhouse trailing just behind.
Frustrated by their aggressive driving, Stenhouse commented over the team radio, “The golden spoons were going at it hard there,” which is something that fans have said continuously but seldom have any NASCAR Cup drivers stated the same openly. He indicated that he feels both drivers hadn’t had to climb the ranks to reach their positions in Cup teams as others might have.
Currently, none of the trio ranks within the top 16 in the driver standings, with Stenhouse at P19, Dillon at P28, and Gibbs lagging at P34. Nevertheless, fans would most likely be eager to witness another showdown among them, even if it’s towards the rear of the pack.
