Richard Childress Comes In to Rescue His Grandson Amid Struggling Start to NASCAR Playoffs at Darlington

“Austin Dillon… he won one… That doesn’t feel like it’s hit the mainstream and gone. Why is he in the playoffs?” Supercars star Scott Pye may have been trying to defend Shane van Gisbergen’s playoff chances with this comment. But unfortunately, this opinion about Austin Dillon’s position is not isolated. Veterans like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin put Dillon on their first-round elimination list. Yet Richard Childress is hoping against hope at Darlington Raceway.

NASCAR’s first race of the Round of 16 in the playoffs is tough – only the cream of the field shines at Darlington Raceway. Austin Dillon has two top fives at the egg-shaped oval, with no wins. With the playoff pressure building up on him, his grandfather says some soothing words for him to get through.

Richard Childress fuels his kin’s motivation

Austin Dillon won the 2025 Cook Out 400 race, which was shrouded in controversy a year earlier. He led for 107 laps and legitimately won, reversing a slew of misgivings about his skills. Although this marked a significant achievement for the No. 3 driver, the battle was hardly over. Dillon entered the playoffs while ranking as the 15th-best driver, with only 5 playoff points to cushion him. This was a long way off from the top contenders’ positions, like Kyle Larson’s or William Byron’s 26 playoff points each. Although Dillon has a chance to perform well, that would not be enough to retain his playoff position. He will need to win at least two races en route to the championship.

While other veterans poured water on Austin Dillon‘s 2025 playoff run, his grandfather is here to uplift him. As the Cook Out Southern 500 went underway, Richard Childress’ emotions attained a passionate flavor. His grandson qualified in 9th place, and yet soon dropped to outside the top 20. He also entered a questionable incident, hitting Ryan Blaney from the back and spinning him around. Despite the drooping chances, Childress issued motivational words to Dillon: “You have to change your line, they’re killing you on the bottom.”

2025 marks Austin Dillon’s 6th playoff appearance in 12 full-time Cup Series seasons. However, he has never finished greater than 11th in the point standings, hence the immense doubts swirling around him. Nevertheless, Dillon himself had exuded confidence ahead of the Round of 16. He said on ‘The Teardown’ podcast, “I really feel that the three tracks line up great for us. Like if you picked if I had to pick a track other than Richmond and maybe Homestead, if you say pick three to put in the playoffs, I’d pick these three. So, it lines up great, and I know what it takes to run well because I’ve done it there at those three. See how it goes.”

While Austin Dillon navigates the tough playoff path, he has his grandfather to support him. What is more, even his teammates joined Richard Childress’ motivational commentary.

Rooting for RCR’s victory

Richard Childress was on cloud nine when Austin Dillon won at Richmond Raceway. But he knew very well that his regular-season duties were not over. Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion riding an 84-race winless streak, had not won yet. Dillon tried to lock his teammate into the playoffs as well. Sadly, that opportunity also slipped past Busch. So, the former champion is now focused on uplifting Dillon’s playoff journey. After years of navigating the high-pressure elimination format, where each race presents unique strategic challenges, Busch offered golden advice.

Kyle Busch outlined a solid playoff strategy for Austin Dillon. He said, “You’ve got to reach your potential each week, you know, whatever that potential may be…If you feel like you’ve got a shot to win, you’ve got to go for the win and maybe strategize your race that way. But if you don’t, then you’ve got to strategize your way for picking up stage points.” Unfortunately, however, even Busch did not find Dillon’s position in the playoffs very optimistic. Dillon’s 15th position and 2005 points do not look very great compared to his rivals. Busch said, “He’s a little deeper in the point scaling, so that’s a little bit of a hindrance.”

Evidently, it is a tough uphill climb for Austin Dillon to sustain himself in the 2025 postseason. Let’s wait and see how well he fares in the first round.