Loudon, NH (June 28, 2008): Austin Dillon showed maturity befitting of a veteran in his first series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Friday night. Dillon, who started on the pole after qualifying was rained out, used an early race pit strategy coupled with patience to post a top-five at the ‘Magic Mile’, and extend his point lead to 59 over Matt Kobyluck. Its Dillon’s third top-five in only five starts in the NASCAR Camping World Series East. Dillon leads both the championship point standings and the Rookie-of-the-Year standings.

“It was a long race and it ended up well for us. For a little while we were falling back, and we were a little worried, but we ended up with a good fourth place finish. I’m exceptionally happy with a top-five,” he said.

Kobyluck went by Dillon’s #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet using the outside groove at the drop of the green, but the 18-year-old Team Dillon Racing driver immediately applied the pressure on the bottom groove. Dillon was unsuccessful in his attempts, but elected to not push the issue too early.

“We were a little better (than Kobyluck),” said Dillon. “These cars are so hard to pass in, and if you don’t get that restart it hurts. He was able to get the restart. I definitely had the better car in the beginning. He was free and I could go under him. It just wasn’t enough.”

Dillon led a procession down pit road at the first caution period on lap 23 – hoping an early pit strategy would pay off big dividends. Though he gave up second position, Dillon didn’t give up very much real estate – he restarted the race on lap 27 in 11th.

At lap 34, Dillon was involved in a battle with Jeffrey Earnhardt when the two made contact. Earnhardt wasn’t able to save it, but Dillon was able to continue and remain in the top-five. As the laps counted down, however, Dillon began to fall off and dropped back as far as ninth. His patience with the circumstances paid off, and by lap 100, Dillon began move forward.

On a restart at lap 102, the leaders got involved in a heated battle that resulted in a spin that collected Dillon’s Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet.

“I hit the left rear quarter panel and everything. I went backwards when the 55 spun in front of everybody, and did a complete 360.”

But Dillon was able to save it.

When the field was lined back up for the restart, Dillon was seventh. In the final twenty laps of the race, the Lewisville, N.C. resident picked off three more cars to finish fourth.

“I kind of got behind there on the restarts. If I could have gotten the lead and gotten in front of Matt (in the early going), I think it would have helped. It was a tough race and we ended up fourth. I think we even could have had a little better of a finish. Considering we got spun backwards and climbed back to finish fourth, it was a good race,” he concluded.