Austin Dillon has shared his frustration after an early exit from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway. In a post-race interview, he blamed tire issues as the main reason his race fell apart, calling the situation “unfortunate.”The comments were made via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, which posted a clip of Dillon’s reaction on X. In the clip, Dillon explained how his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet struggled almost immediately. He said,“Yeah, you know we were the first one to really experience tire issues. I thought I had a puncture at the beginning of the race. I didn’t know that we were actually courting tires 20 laps into a run.”He added, “It’s just so unfortunate. No, NASCAR didn’t want the race be like that, we didn’t want it obviously, and we wish that our car would have been able to hold on longer and be able fight race hard.”According to Dillon, the limit was roughly 21 to 25 laps before the car risked running out of tires. This forced him to back off and lose ground while others faced similar problems later in the race. He called it frustrating because his car had potential, but the tire situation left him unable to compete at the level needed.Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol was the end of Austin Dillon’s playoff campaign. The 500-lap event cut the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field down to 12, with Dillon among those eliminated alongside Alex Bowman, Shane van Gisbergen, and Josh Berry.Getting knocked out in the first round may look disappointing, but expectations for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team were not very high this season. As per Toby Christie's analysis, not many thought they would even reach the playoffs, so making it to the Round of 16 was progress. Dillon locked in his playoff spot with a win at Richmond Raceway earlier this year, his second straight victory at that track.Austin Dillon urged critics not to underestimate him ahead of playoff eliminationBefore being knocked out of the playoffs, Austin Dillon spoke with confidence about his intentions for the postseason. Ahead of the Gateway race, he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that neither he nor his team should be underestimated.Austin Dillon entered the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with one win, one top-five, and five top-10 finishes. His average finish was 20.34. The Richmond win confirmed his playoff place heading into the Round of 16.In his 12th season with Richard Childress Racing, Dillon opened the playoffs with a 23rd-place result at Darlington, which left him 14th in the standings and eight points below the cut line. He knew a strong performance at Gateway would be critical to keep playoff hopes alive. Addressing doubts about his chances, Dillon gave a blunt response. As shared by SiriusXM, he said,“Watch out; don’t bet against us. That’s all I’m gonna say.”Dillon’s playoff run ultimately ended at Bristol after finishing 28th. His exit was confirmed when the Round of 16 concluded.