A 2015 rewind and a 2016 preview for the top five finishers last season in the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series. Today: Ty Dillon, the third-place finisher in the XFINITY Series standings.
Team: Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet
Wins: 0
Strides: Dillon, 23, may not have found his way to the XFINITY Series Victory Lane last season, but his third-place finish in the championship standings was a career best. He opened the season with back-to-back third-place showings and it wasn't until the series' second trip to Daytona International Speedway last summer that he recorded a finish worse than 14th. That Daytona race and the fall race at Dover marked the only times the rising star finished lower than 15th on the season earning a legitimate -- if winless -- run toward the title.
Setbacks: Three top-five finishes in the first seven races -- and 12 on the year -- would normally predicate a championship run, but Dillon met his match in series runner-up Chase Elliott and eventual champ Chris Buescher, who won races and raised the title bar.
Quoteworthy: "I got better as a driver, matured and grew up a lot. We had quite a few opportunities to win races but it wasn't in the cards this year. We fought hard all year despite a couple races that set us back and took us far out of contention. I was proud of our perseverance. As a driver it makes you stronger and better able to challenge for a championship."
What's next: There has been a lot of talk about Dillon moving up to the Cup level for 2016 and although he is expected to make Cup starts, Dillon will be challenging again for the XFINITY Series title. The only two drivers to better him for last year's trophy -- Buescher and Elliott -- have moved on to the Cup ranks making him very much the contender to beat this season in XFINITY.