Happy 26th birthday to RCR's Austin Dillon

FONTANA, CA - MARCH 18: Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 American Ethanol Chevrolet, walks to the grid during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 18, 2016 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Austin Dillon heads into Talladega Superspeedway this weekend ranked 12th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings.

So far in 2016, the third-year Richard Childress Racing driver is enjoying the best year of his career.

RCR is always strong at restrictor-plate tracks — Dillon won the Daytona 500 pole two years ago as a rookie — and Sunday's GEICO 500 could be a great opportunity for the third-generation driver to score his first victory in NASCAR's top division.

And today, April 27th, Dillon is celebrating his 26th birthday.