Austin Dillon will make his 12th start in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, in hopes of corralling his second victory in the illustrious event. 

Dillon, whose Coca-Cola 600 win in 2017 was the first of his NASCAR Cup Series career, regards the race as more than just a special stop on NASCAR's calendar.

"I went and got my hair cut this morning at the barbershop, and one of my barber's customers asked me, 'What's something very good I can do for my daughter on Memorial Day weekend so that we could experience America?'" Dillon said on Friday.

"I told him, 'Come to the Coke 600. There's gonna be helicopters, a flyover, the National Anthem, 40 race cars, there's nothing more patriotic in America than the Coke 600. Charlotte Motor Speedway is Memorial Day weekend to me, because it's where I experienced (Memorial Day weekend) growing up. Getting to see all the military branches represented all weekend, and then we're ripping around the track, it's just a great day."

Dillon's Friday-afternoon session with media members included questions from 2015 Coca-Cola 600 winner Carl Edwards, who will provide analysis on Sunday's race for Amazon Prime. Edwards asked Dillon how the Richard Childress Racing driver prepares for what will be 900 miles of racing this weekend, with Dillon also slated to compete in Saturday's BetMGM 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

"(The Coca-Cola 600) is one of the most mentally grueling races we have," Dillon said. "The track is also rough now, so you have to prep your seat well, too. Once we went to the (Next Gen) car (in 2022) I had to adjust my seat and change the foam around our headrest.

"You've got to stay comfortable for a race like this and for a long weekend with 900 miles, I start preparing everything – including my meals and what I'm consuming – even earlier in the week, so I feel ready for race day."