NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon. Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Austin Dillon tied this Dale Earnhardt record with Richmond win

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 1:04 PM ET

Austin Dillon's win at Richmond Raceway on Saturday was momentous for several reasons.

Dillon's sixth career Cup Series win was his first victory since his controversial win at Richmond a year ago. It also locked him into the Cup Series playoffs for the first time since 2022.

But Dillon's win also tied a mark not seen in NASCAR since the late Dale Earnhardt was behind the wheel of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

Dillon led 107 laps in Saturday's Cook Out 400, the most laps led by the No. 3 in Cup Series competition since Earnhardt led 107 laps in his legendary victory in the 1998 Daytona 500.

We think a few of us remember the last time the No. 3 accomplished this. pic.twitter.com/po6coG05tS
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 17, 2025

The No. 3 was not driven in the Cup Series from Earnhardt's death in the 2001 Daytona 500 until Dillon moved up to the Cup Series full-time with RCR in 2014.

Dillon had won five Cup Series races before his victory at Richmond on Saturday, but had yet to put together a dominant performance during his Cup Series career. That's no longer the case.

With a playoff berth secured, Dillon can now focus on another achievement that RCR hasn't seen since Earnhardt: winning a Cup Series championship, something the organization last accomplished with Earnhardt's seventh and final title in 1994.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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