There was a time when Richard Childress Racing (RCR) was the absolute top dog in NASCAR. When a random fan is asked why it isn’t so in recent years, high chances are that they would point the finger at the Dillon brothers. While that may not be entirely fair on them there has indeed been a decline in the team’s results since they began driving for it.
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Austin, 34, and Ty, 32, are the grandchildren of Richard Childress. Their father, Mike, is a retired NASCAR driver who is currently an RCR executive. The general outlook in the fandom is that the brothers are “silver spoon” kids and that they didn’t earn their seats in the sport. Although, that might not be entirely valid. They burst into the scene in the early 2010s by driving in the Truck Series and ARCA Menards, respectively.
Both won championships in their avenues. Their exploits led to a promotion and Austin was soon in the Xfinity Series while Ty had moved to Trucks. The former even won the 2013 Xfinity Series championship. Ty was holding his own in the third tier and narrowly missed out on the 2013 championship. It was in 2014 that Austin made the final ascent.
He took over the iconic No. 3 that Dale Earnhardt Sr. used to pilot in the Cup Series. The biggest complaint of the brothers is that they were promoted to higher levels because of the ties that their family had in the sport. It is rather easy to see why this argument is shallow. Austin won championships to get to the premier tier. Ty won a great number of races to warrant his climb as well.
The relationship between the Dillon brothers and their approach to racing
Clearing that out of the way brings us to the relationship between the brothers. A 2017 quiz on NBC revealed that they’re both incredibly competitive against each other even outside the race track. From fantasy football to basketball they’re always trying to get one over the other. But the desire to win is where the uniformity ends.
Austin is a much calmer driver than his younger counterpart. This was evidenced during the departure of Kevin Harvick from Richard Childress Racing in 2013. Following a clash with Ty in the Truck Series, Harvick said that the brothers were a bunch of rich kids with no respect and suggested that they were the reason why he was quitting the team. Ty responded strongly and harshly.
Austin has been known to have a more approachable attitude. His comments to Harvick post his departure were more mature and thoughtful. Regardless, the team’s performances began dropping from there on and the brothers could do little to stop the bleeding. Austin has four wins in the Cup Series since 2014 and is currently driving alongside Kyle Busch. Ty never made it to a full-time ride with Richard Childress Racing in the premier tier. In 2024, he drives for Rackley WAR in the Truck Series.
