Racing Community Points Fingers at Richard Childress’ Only Jeopardizing Factor After NASCAR Fall-Off Highlights Nepotism Debate

It’s no secret that Austin Dillon, being the grandchild of Richard Childress, will get his fair proportion of criticism from NASCAR followers. A few of it is because of ‘nepotism’ and him getting an unfair benefit of driving for Richard Childress Racing. Others merely have a problem with him driving the long-lasting #3 automobile of NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Jr, believing he can’t fill these footwear, with some claiming that he has all the time been on the receiving finish of the slack. 

Nonetheless, his debut to NASCAR wasn’t dangerous and whereas he’s not a stellar driver, his performances had been all the time ok. However issues have modified since 2023 and he’s dealing with a stoop like by no means earlier than. However what precisely is plaguing Dillion’s efficiency?

Austin Dillon is probably not NASCAR ace, however he’s not a slouch both

Dillon couldn’t fill the legendary footwear of Dale Earnhardt, however he did carry out his greatest. He completed twentieth in factors in his rookie season [2014] and has often made it to the playoffs. In truth, earlier than 2023, he by no means completed worse than twenty first in factors. Final 12 months, he plummeted to twenty ninth, however now, he’s languishing at thirty first. And this downfall is alarming!

At this level the earlier 12 months, he had three prime 10 finishes and a prime 5, however he has damaged into the highest 20 simply twice in 2024. However why this downfall?

Nicely, one key factor that modified for Dillon is getting a brand new crew chief, Keith Rodden. He had taken the function because the starting of the 2023 season and someway the Rodden-Dillon pairing didn’t sit effectively. Dillon’s efficiency not too long ago has been his career-worst! The workforce took discover and determined to go for a crew chief change for the No.3 Chevrolet. Keith Rodden has now moved to a management function inside RCR, and Justin Alexander has taken Rodden’s place.

Andy Petree, govt vp for RCR, addressed the change with a press release. As per Yahoo Sports activities, he mentioned, “The organizational adjustments had been made to assist Richard Childress Racing’s total NASCAR Cup Sequence program as we put together for the remainder of the season and locking two groups into the NASCAR Playoffs. Justin Alexander and Austin Dillon share a novel chemistry that has confirmed efficient up to now. We wish to thank Keith Rodden for his management of the No. 3 workforce and know that the contributions he’ll proceed to make to RCR in his new function will likely be beneficial throughout the group.” 

Alexander had beforehand been on the identical publish and led Dillon to all 4 of his cup collection victories—making him the proper selection to hold the workforce ahead. Furthermore, Dillon appears content material with this variation. He mentioned, “I feel it’s an enormous morale enhance for our workforce, like I mentioned, and to get Justin again on board with touring and going to the race monitor, , that was the most important factor.”

Even the NASCAR followers appeared to have taken discover of how Dillon’s efficiency took a pointy flip after Keith Rodden joined the workforce. And in a shock flip of occasions, followers sided with Dillon.

Followers Rally behind Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon amid his struggles

Followers have principally spoken not in favor of the No.3 driver, however a current Reddit post confirmed a change in sentiment. The publish highlighted the dire situation of the driving force and followers had been fast to pin the difficulty on his former crew chief, Keith Rodden.

One consumer mentioned that whereas Dillon is a real mid-racer, he had been ok to hold across the playoff bubble always. He mentioned, “He’s principally “nineteenth place: the driving force”. However he additionally added why he thinks he has declined to such a place. He mentioned, “I’m nonetheless satisfied it’s principally Keith Rodden — the timing strains up. Dillon has Alexander again on the field now, but it surely’ll take various weeks to proper a sinking ship. And so they can’t lean on the #8 workforce a lot as a result of 2-time champ KFB is caught in twenty third each different week.”

One other consumer stood up for Dillon, saying he’s not almost as dangerous as folks consider him to be, and that in 2022 he spent many of the season round Reddick in factors and even had a greater common end than him. Then he gave out a press release that echoed the identical because the earlier consumer. He mentioned, “However his insane decline does line up with dropping Justin Alexander and getting Keith Rodden as his crew chief (who I genuinely consider is the worst CC in fashionable period historical past) He obtained Alexander again but it surely’s gonna take a number of weeks at the least to scrub up the fucking mess Keith left behind.”

One other fan simply mentioned, “Keith. Rodden.” and whereas his phrases is likely to be much less, it did say a thousand phrases. 

Whereas some blame solely the earlier crew chief, some assume that your complete workforce is dealing with a downfall. One fan mentioned, “I assume it’s a mixture of him not transitioning to the Subsequent-Gen automobile, but additionally the decline of RCR total.”

One other couldn’t assist however usher in the identical nepotism pitch saying “RCR is falling behind and it’s making the nepotism that obtained Austin Dillion his experience within the first place all of the extra egregious.” One other even asserted that RCR is “sizzling rubbish.” The total workforce appears to be dealing with a backlash from the followers on social media platforms. Some even referred to as the workforce irrelevant.

However now, with new adjustments going down, hopefully, the Richard Childress Racing workforce will catch the rhythm and dance to the tunes of victory. What do you assume? Will this variation convey something good to Dillon and the workforce?