NASCAR Playoffs post-mortem: Saying goodbye to the 4 eliminated drivers

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 30: #48: Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Lowe's for Pros during the running of the Inagural Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday September 30, 2018 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord North Carolina (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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CHARLOTTE, NC – SEPTEMBER 28: #3: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Dow during qualifying for the Bank of America Roval 400 on Friday September 28, 2018 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord North Carolina (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Austin Dillon

High point of 2018: Starting strong is good, and Dillon kicked off the season by winning the Daytona 500, becoming the first driver to lock up a playoff berth and giving everyone hope that maybe he’d be a factor. He did it in a way that lived up to the legacy of the iconic No. 3 as well, nudging (maybe even more than a nudge) Aric Almirola out of the way and simply taking the victory.

Low point of 2018: The ROVAL turned out to be Dillon’s worst finish to date, but he also suffered through a fairly miserable stretch earlier this season when he finished 35th at Talladega, 26th at Dover and 34th at Charlotte with only a slight bounceback to 17th at Kansas in-between. Dillon would not have made the playoffs on points without his Daytona win, which tells you all you need to know about the bulk of his 2018 campaign.

Better luck next year? Dillon has now won exactly one non-restrictor plate race for Richard Childress Racing, and sine he’ll turn 29 early in the 2019 season, he’s definitely not a prospect any more. With Daniel Hemric coming in to replace Ryan Newman in the 31, he’s got to be the veteran of the team and show some additional progress at the same time.

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