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'I Love Kellie Pickler': Hanging With NASCAR's Austin Dillon

The Driver Spent the Day With Kellie and Crew

On this week's new episode of I Love Kellie Pickler, Kellie and her crew hit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The crew was there to support Kellie singing the national anthem at the start of the Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard.

But the fun didn't stop there. Kellie spent the day with NASCAR champion Austin Dillon, who showed her around his trailer and took her for a wild ride around the track.

I chatted with Dillon to ask all about his day with Kellie and get to know the man under the racing helmet.

How was hanging out with Kellie on the track? Any favorite memories from the day?

It was really awesome to spend time with Kellie, her husband and the rest of the cast at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She’s a North Carolina native, so I’ve always been a fan. The guys on my pit crew really had a blast showing her around the pit box. For me, I think one of my favorite memories of the day was taking her around the track in the Chevrolet pace car. It really put an exclamation mark on the day and gave her a glimpse of what it is we do. She was so excited, and it’s fun to get people excited about NASCAR.

I hear you’re a country music fan. So, what’s on your playlist to get you pumped up before a race? And what’s on your playlist when you’re not going 200 mph – what do you listen to during your off time?

I love all kinds of country music from Merle Haggard to Eric Church to Garth Brooks. It’s something I grew up listening to and still enjoy.

What are some of your favorite racetracks?

I really like fast racetracks. My favorite tracks are usually the tracks that I have won at or have had success at, so you think of some of the mile-and-a-half tracks like Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway. I’ve always liked Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway and a lot of the other fast tracks, too.

If Kellie were to change careers and pursue racing, what advice would you give her? Think she has potential?

I would tell Kellie she better hurry up because Danica Patrick has gotten a head start on her and she’s doing pretty good! There’s a big learning curve when you jump into stock cars. Although, Kellie definitely has the talking part down!

When you visit Nashville, what are some of your favorite spots?

I love Nashville and it’s one of my favorite cities to visit. Some of my favorite hangouts are Losers and Tootsies.

That's all for now, but for more Austin Dillon, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Don't miss Dillion on a new episode of I Love Kellie Pickler Tomorrow (11/26) at 10 p.m. ET/PT. And for exclusive news and video, photo galleries and more, head over to CMT.com, the CMT app, the official I Love Kellie Pickler Facebook page and Twitter using #ILoveKP.

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