It's been said there's nothing more valuable than a good education. Just ask Austin Dillon. A sophomore at High Point University, he is trying to balance college with racing, which makes for a busy weekend of studying between Camping World Truck Series on-track activity.

"I've been going to classes," Dillon said. "I'm a full-time student. Just trying to keep up with that's been pretty tough. High Point has done a great job, helping me with my schedule."

“

You can't win races, you can't run up front, making mistakes or doing something to hurt you or put you behind during a race.

”

-- AUSTIN DILLON

While Dillon's college career is keeping him busy hitting the books, he's also learning lessons on the track. And if NASCAR were to issue a report card at the end of the season, Dillon's victory last weekend at Las Vegas is at least deserving of a spot on the honor roll.

After beginning the year in an inglorious fashion with a first-lap wreck after starting on the front row at Daytona, things have certainly turned around for the 20-year-old grandson of Richard Childress. Since finishing 35th at Michigan, Dillon's put together a stretch of 12 top-10 finishes in 13 races, including wins at Iowa and Vegas.

"We knew we had good equipment and a great team behind us," Dillon said. "We felt like we deserved better at the beginning of the year. Since then, we've gotten the finishes that we've needed."

Dillon said some of the turnaround can be attributed to a growing confidence in his equipment, and some in a growing confidence in his ability to run well on intermediate tracks.

"There is a comfort level," Dillon said. "The mile-and-a-half stuff has definitely picked up our program. It's tough when you haven't been at these tracks before and comfortability is big. I felt like I've been to enough of them to where they're all very similiar. So we can unload and I have a good point of starting."

Dillon plans on a degree in communications, but if there's an on-track class in which he's excelled this season, it's aerodynamics.

"The air's really big in these trucks, trying to learn how you can race around other trucks," Dillon said. "That's one of the toughest things to learn. That's been a big help to me this year."

"[It's all about ] trying to get my truck working around other trucks. That's the biggest and most important thing. And mistakes, learning how to eliminate mistakes. I've learned a lot about that this year. You can't win races, you can't run up front, making mistakes or doing something to hurt you or put you behind during a race."

That's the biggest lesson learned this season, Dillon said. The adage about first finishing to finish first is especially apropos in his case, as he's learned to not only race but to race smart.

"You can't put yourself behind," Dillon said. "Once you're in a hole, it's so tough to climb out of it. You've got to always stay on top of your game and stay up front as much as you can. You can come out and every once in a while steal one with not running that well. But it just makes it a lot tougher."

And with experience comes an increased emphasis on race strategy.

"I feel like the truck's been fast enough each and every week," Dillon said. "We just have to figure out our race procedure during the race to figure out how to adjust on the truck. We did really good at Kentucky, keeping up with the track."

So what's Dillon's plan once the season ends in November?

"Being in school and dirt racing, and trying to have fun and keep up with things, somehow," he said.

And when it comes to priorities, Dillon knows school is right at the top of the list. Or is it?

"It's tough and school's important, but racing is probably the most important to me right now."

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