Inside the chaotic Texas endpoint for a Nascar Cup team that did not win but had reason to celebrate

When the field came on the green flag to start overtime, the disaster almost hit Dillon.

The outline – where Dillon was in the ninth row – came to the restart zone. Cars hit the brakes. Riley Herbst, starts to slow down again in front of Dillon to prevent him from slamming the car in front of him.

With what had happened to Dillon and his team over the past few weeks, it would not have been surprising if he ran in the back of Herbst’s car and could not continue.

The previous two races – Bristol and Talladega – were painful for the team. Dillon went twice at Bristol, including a few laps before the end. He would achieve his first top 10 final of the season-and possibly a top five final after two cars were disqualified to the last round in Talladega.

Now that, the field stacks on the restart.

“I didn’t beat him,” Herbst said. “Fortunately, I stopped. Sometimes it kills your momentum. The RPMs fall off and you never get started. Fortunately, I could arrive the RPMs … and we could keep the momentum of the run. ‘

Dillon’s charge was about to start.

Cole Custer started behind Dillon again and moved up a track after crossing the start/finish line. Dillon reflects Custer’s movement to protect his place.

“I knew that the momentum (custer) came behind me at the beginning/finish, which helped me keep my speed,” Dillon said. “… I see how he goes up, so I cover his nose. When I do, Riley hesitates. I just got a little further and it puts me on the spot where, ok, now I can see a clean track in front of me. Let’s make this thing happen. ‘

Dillon heard mocker Joe White and said, ‘Top of four. Top of four. Top of four. ‘

Dillon had three cars under him.

It was only about 30 rounds earlier when he entered one car under him in the turn and which almost destroyed his race.

Brad Keselowski pushed the track and Dillon said he was either beaten from behind, or that the car was so close that it upset the air on his car. Either way, Dillon pushed the track, lost its momentum and fell from the 13th to 27th within a few seconds.

It was for Dillon, who overcame a penalty for a crew over the pit wall too soon on the first pit stop of the team on lap 22. He ran the 30th or worse for much of the next 100 rounds. A two-tyrus hill helped him get into the top 20, but the obstacles continued.

A slow stop on lap 221 dropped him from the 10th to 18th. When he was forced on the track, he almost put him back where he had lost earlier in the race.

“Frustration is sitting in,” Dillon said, “because you have been climbing on this mountain three times and now out of the round, you don’t really see how it’s going to get better, but my team has done a good job to keep me in the game, and that’s something we preached to each other.”

But it got almost worse.

In his turn 2, the message was the same for Dillon from his mocker. ‘Still top of four. However, you have the momentum. Top of four. ‘

It was at the exit of Turn 2 that Carson Hocevar, next to Ryan Preece, made contact with Preece, causing an accident that brought out the caution on Lap 238.

When Dillon left the corner after the overtime again, he had three cars on his inside.

But that’s what William Byron, who runs in front of Dillon, made the difference between Dillon who crashed that angle.

“The biggest thing that helps is when (Byron) just slides in the middle of the corner,” Dillon said. “I can attach air to the nose of my car, which keeps the front grip in it. All the time I try to keep the air in front of my car to make sure my front tires felt in me. … If (Byron) comes in my lane in front of me, cover my nose, I’m done.

With Byron staying lower, Dillon pushed out of the turn 2. By the time Dillon reached 4, he passed Zane Smith, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, Justin Haley and Herbst and set him 13th.

Todd Gilliland and Byron were busy at the last round in front of Dillon.

“I’m starting to expect these two to crash in front of me,” Dillon said. “I have to be watched. I returned my corner (in the turn 3) to get a big run, get some air on my nose, and I think William gets tight over the hump (in his turn 3). ‘

Dillon was on the inside, while Byron had a track on. Dillon found his car under Byron’s car when they were on their way to the checkered flag.

“I knew he had a few splitter damage (from a pit road incident earlier),” Dillon said. “Then it was just a matter of using the air on his door (to the end). We didn’t hit. There was no contact there, but it was very close. ‘

Dillon cut Byron for 12th place and caused an excited and colorful celebration on the team’s radio.

“Nice … work man! P12! Come!’ The crew chief Andrew Dickeson shouted on the radio.

“… yes!” Dillon replies.

“What a … recharge man,” White said on the radio.

“Way to go boys. It’s something to be proud of, ‘Dillon sent out.

A few days removed from that emotional moment, Dillon reflects on what the restart and even passing Byron, the score leader, means.

“The thing that I hit William there on the line, it’s probably insignificant at the end of the day, it’s one point different, that’s it … but for me it was a check on my list,” Dillon said. “Ok, I feel confident that I want to take the step when it’s something super important.

“It was just another (element) added to the emotion at the end of the day because you have such an up-and-down day, you really want to leave with some positive things.”

After the finish there were high-five and fist-bodies for the team.

“That’s what we can do,” Dillon said. “And that’s kind of the conversations, like,” Hey, let’s remember this moment for the future. This is what we are in good situations. ‘