Analysis: Richmond win was more like validation than redemption for Dillon

Austin Dillon is not Dale Earnhardt, but the way he handled his car in winning at Richmond back-to-back times validated his driving skill.

Let‘s start by dispensing with the notion that Austin Dillon ever will be known as the imitator of “The Intimidator.”

The current driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet has six victories in 433 Cup starts and never will be confused with seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt and his 76 wins in NASCAR‘s premier series.

RELATED: Race results | Full recap

“I could win 50 races, and they’ll say my grandpa gave me the ride,” said Dillon, who was tabbed by grandfather Richard Childress for the No. 3‘s return 11 years ago. “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.”

Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, Dillon could lay claim to having matched a NASCAR Hall of Fame icon in at least one category — becoming the second Richard Childress Racing driver to win consecutive Cup races on the 0.75-mile oval (which Earnhardt did in 1990-91 and on the track‘s previous configuration in ‘87).

And unlike last year, when he overdid an Earnhardt impersonation by wrecking Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the last lap, Dillon epitomized savvy driving (“probably the calmest I’ve ever been in the car”). The win felt more a validation of his ability than redemption for last year‘s controversy, which cost him playoff eligibility with a NASCAR penalty for rough driving .

Dillon left no doubt this time at Richmond that he will make his sixth playoff appearance while building Earnhardt-esque confidence that he can make his deepest championship run yet despite being 25th in the points standings. (The win was his first top five this season.)

“We were very flawless tonight,” Dillon said. “At times I don’t think we were the fastest car, but we out-executed people.

“If you want to call it swagger, I’m all about it. Growing up in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series, I felt like I had maximum swagger. You get to Cup level, it just humbles you. It’s a whole other department of winning. Now I’m more thankful than anything. It’s not like, ‘Kiss my butt, I won.‘ It’s more like, ‘Man, that was awesome.‘ … I’m the guy that got to wheel it tonight.”

He set a personal best by leading 107 of 400 laps (including the final 49), nearly doubling his previous high. It was the most laps led by the No. 3 since Earnhardt led 107 in his watershed 1998 Daytona 500 victory. That was one of many underlying connections at Richmond to Earnhardt, the hard-nosed superstar who routinely shrugged off broken bones to crawl behind the wheel.

Dillon won despite a broken right rib (which he sheepishly admitted to sustaining in a fall off a ladder) that has bothered him for three weeks. There were no ill effects as he patiently stalked Ryan Blaney and cleanly outdueled the 2023 Cup champion to take a pivotal lead just before making his final pit stop.

“Anybody that says Austin doesn’t deserve to be at this level, look at the 30 or 40 laps he raced side by side with Ryan Blaney,” crew chief Richard Boswell said. “He raced door to door with a Cup champion. He beat him. Yeah, we need to run better. We need to be more consistent. But anybody that says he just can‘t do it is not looking at the facts.”

Team owner Richard Childress, who unconditionally defended the numerous transgressions of Earnhardt through the years, steadfastly brushed off many attempts to frame his grandson‘s win as redemptive rather than remarkable.

“To get it done, he did a great job,” Childress said. “Redemption, you can call it, whatever. But tonight, Austin Dillon won the race. He won the race last year. It was just under different circumstances.”

In the latter stages of his life, Earnhardt drove for Childress while forming and owning a Cup team. Dillon, 35, has been taking a larger role in the front office moves at RCR.

Since 2022, he also has been the freewheeling general manager of the Carolina Cowboys in the Professional Bull Riders Teams Series (he completed the first major trade in league history during its inaugural draft), learning about the hard conversations that come with managing strong-willed personalities.

It‘s been good preparation for going toe-to-toe with Childress, who will turn 80 next month and remains as feisty as when he started in racing more than 50 years ago.

“We have knockdown, drag-outs between the two of us,” Dillon said. “We get into arguments to the point of frustration. It’s very hard when he’s your grandfather to have an argument with him. There’s certain directions we have to go to move this boat forward. I’m constantly pushing him. My brother has stepped in now and is trying to help as well. Between the two of us, we want to try to take some of the load off of him as we go.

“But he’s very loyal to a fault almost. He really takes great care of those that are around him. We just push him to try and make a change at some point.”

The best personnel change at RCR recently is the addition of Boswell, who was hired after taking Chase Briscoe to the 2024 playoffs in Stewart-Haas Racing‘s final season. It was Boswell‘s assertive call to pit with 59 laps remaining (and four laps ahead of Blaney) that effectively sealed the Richmond win.

“Richard Boswell is a heck of a leader; a good get for us in the offseason,” Dillon said. “He built an excellent team for us. Multiple times I told him this year, if I can’t go fast with the team I have right now, I need to think about doing something else and moving to another role.

“I think I have a great team, probably one of the strongest we’ve built. It’s a testament to guys coming to RCR because they know we want to make this organization as strong as some of the top teams. We scrap and claw and figure out ways to win.”

Dillon has a knack for clutch victories. Aside from winning the season-opening Daytona 500 in 2018, his other five wins in Cup have come after entering a race below the playoff cutline. Childress noted Dillon has 22 victories across NASCAR‘s top three national circuits (along with Xfinity and Truck titles).

“Austin has earned his way,” Childress said. “He won races in everything he’s ever driven. They’re going to give you criticism because he is my grandson. But we take it. It’s just the way life is. You can’t be burdened down by what people say. Do what you do and move forward. He’s won his share.”

Of course, he never will win as many as Earnhardt, but Dillon says that‘s OK.

He‘s won enough to matter.

“I think I get the credit I deserve,” Dillon said. “We’re kind of like a fighter. We don’t go away. I think a lot of people think that guy is going to go away at some point. I like that underdog mentality.”