Austin Dillon is not the most popular driver on the Cup Series grid. He may be driving the iconic No. 3 car that the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. used to pilot back in the day, but the fandom doesn’t love him any more for it. But how founded and warranted is this hate against him? How fair is the argument that he doesn’t deserve to be a Cup Series driver?
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The most common opinion is that his performances aren’t good enough to keep him at the top level and that he is still in the seat only because he is the grandson of Richard Childress. The above-mentioned questions were put in front of the team owner himself during a recent press conference at the Richmond Raceway.
Richard Boswell, Dillon’s crew chief, had been present on the stage as well and chose to answer the question first. He said that if he had the means to put his grandson in a Cup Series car and if the lad proved his worth by winning Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series championships, he would do what Childress did as well.
He continued, “Anybody who says he doesn’t deserve to be at this level, look at the 30 or 40 laps he raced side by side with Ryan Blaney. He won a Cup championship. He raced door-to-door with a Cup champion and beat him at the end. Yeah, we need to run better. We need to be more consistent… But anybody who says he just can’t do it is not looking at the facts.”
Dillon would sure appreciate this vote of confidence from Boswell. But it is the solidarity that his grandfather showed that could move him to tears. Mr. Childress pointed out that people speak negatively about Dillon just because he is his grandson. But these aren’t noises that he wants them to be concerned with.
He said, “Austin has earned his way, from the time we put him in a Bandolero car. I said you guys have to earn your way. He went out and won a truck championship. He went out and won an Xfinity championship. He won races in everything he’s ever driven.”
All this is proof enough not to take the driver out of the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro. He concluded, “He’s won his share.” Dillon has a great understanding of what his grandfather feels.
He told the press in Richmond, after winning, that he isn’t concerned with what his critics say. “They’re going to do it either way,” he noted. “I could win 50 races, and they’ll say my grandpa gave me the ride. They’re not wrong. He did. He did a great job putting me in it. Hopefully I’m paying off on his investment at some point (smiling).”
Dillon’s victory at Richmond on Sunday was a historic moment for him. He now has a playoff berth secured and will compete for the championship in the postseason.
