Richard Childress has come a long way from being the young boy who sold peanuts at Bowman Gray Stadium. He now helms one of the largest racing organizations in motorsports and is a true legend of NASCAR. But at 79 years of age, he doesn’t have a lot of time left to sit on the throne at Richard Childress Racing (RCR). Perfectly poised to take over his seat are his grandsons, Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon.
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Austin, after his victory at Richmond, spoke to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Download podcast. He expressed awareness of how time-consuming and difficult his grandfather’s job as a team owner is. But he believes that the love that he holds for the team, along with his brother’s support, can help push the organization forward in the future. His confidence was infectious and energetic, to say the least.
Austin said, “Ty’s aspect has come from a different side of things. He’s had to go work with other teams. He’s seen the inner workings of other teams. He’s now working with one of our partners at Kaulig, and it’s kind of like an inside track to how we can deliver more for Kaulig on that side of things. And then from my aspect, I really know the competition side from RCR.”
Why Childress might be hesitant to climb down from his throne
Austin has been with RCR for the entirety of his career in the Cup Series, and he has the confidence to know what is right and wrong within the team. He wishes to get into the competition side of things directly and make improvements. But the one question is if Childress is willing to let the ones with the younger blood handle things. But rest assured, it’s not a matter of the want for power.
Coming up from rags, the benefactor knows what a job like his demands from a person and their family life. Even Austin is unsure if his grandfather would want him and his brother to make the sacrifices that the job will ask of them. It remains to be seen what the old icon will ultimately decide, but the boys are up for the job to help in whatever way they can at whatever time.
Austin clarified this earlier this year, “When I feel like I can’t bring something as a driver to the organization, then yeah, I’d love to help in any other capacity.”
He is currently one of the 16 drivers who will race for the championship in the upcoming playoffs. Ty, who is two years younger than him, races the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Kaulig Racing in the Cup Series. He has just one top-10 finish in the entire season thus far. On the bright side, as Austin pointed out, he has driven for over half a dozen teams and carries a great deal of inside knowledge.
