Richard Childress Racing has long stood as one of NASCAR’s most storied organizations, carrying decades of triumphs, challenges, and transformation. In the mid-1980s, Richard Childress hired Dale Earnhardt to drive the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet, kicking off an era of dominance as they combined to win six Cup championships and dozens of races together. The legacy still endured as Childress’ grandson, Austin Dillon, finally brought the No. 3 back to victory lane in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600, ending a 17-year drought for that car. Over the decades, the team also won Daytona 500s and other marquee events, building one of NASCAR’s largest, most respected organizations. Yet even such a storied team is feeling the growing pains of generational change.

Austin Dillon recently summed up that RCR dynamic, saying, “There’s certain directions we have to go to move this boat forward.” He admitted to frequent “knockdown dragouts” with his grandfather Richard as he pushes to modernize the operation. Childress, now 79, is still omnipresent, overseeing his teams. Dillon described Childress as “one rock in the middle” of the organization, reflecting how much authority he still wields. Even RCR insiders acknowledge the challenge, including competition VP Keith Rodden, who conceded that while the team has hard-working personnel and data, the missing piece is simply converting speed to wins, saying, “there’s a difference between running fifth and winning.” The next-generation Dillons see room for innovation, but know they must navigate around the tradition-bound founder.

Ty Dillon has also said that he and Austin are eager to take more of that innovation. In an interview with Claire B. Lang, Ty explained, “The RCR stuff… is something that we’re passionate about. I think he’s getting us more and more involved slowly… it’s something Austin and I are very excited about in our futures.” He also noted, “We’ve had probably the most unique perspectives on the sport, being owners, grandsons, and drivers… We’re excited for that next chapter, but we’re also both very hungry for where our feet are now as far as race car drivers. It’s fun to be teammates with him again; in a sense, there is a technical alliance.” This vision is already reflected in RCR’s off-season moves. Former Stewart-Haas technical chief John Klausmeier was hired as RCR’s Technical Director, and veteran Richard Boswell took over Dillon’s No. 3 car.

Crew chief Randall Burnett stayed on Kyle Busch‘s No. 8, and RCR even added a third chartered Cup entry, No. 33, driven part-time by Xfinity champion Austin Hill under crew chief Andy Street and shared with Jesse Love. In 2025, through 25 races, Austin Dillon has already secured a victory at Richmond, which turned out to be RCR’s only Cup win of the season. That win locked Dillon into the payoffs and put him 14th in points. Kyle Busch has yet to win this year and sits outside the top-16 despite scoring several top-10 finishes. But sponsors have been many. Boot Barn extended its partnership to sponsor Dillon again, Lucas Oil joined Busch for 3 races, and traditional partners like Bass Pro/Winchester and Cheddar’s remain on Dillon’s car.

But on-track incidents have led to fans being bitter towards the team. At Richmond, Busch struggles with car handling on the radio, drew a pit-road speeding penalty, and was later caught in a wreck that also took out Chase Elliott. Notably, a late-race radio call from Childress during Austin’s win provoked an outcry of “race manipulation” from rival Alex Bowman. While Kyle Busch bluntly observed that RCR’s cars “just haven’t matched the velocity” of the front-runners, many believe that it’s time for Childress to step down, with accusations of his ‘ego’ hindering the team’s progress.

Fans weigh in on Richard Childress’ legacy and future

One fan’s critique echoes a wider narrative that has dogged RCR for years, “I think RC has held that team back more than anyone else. Hes so stubborn and archaic, he wants racing to be like the 80s but that doesn’t make you a contender in 2025.” For instance, Kevin Harvick’s blunt 2013 parting shot, complaining, “I don’t care what they throw at me. That’s exactly the reason I’m leaving RCR because you’ve got those punk-ass kids coming up,” and citing internal dynamics as a reason for leaving, was an early warning that the old way wasn’t scaling to the Cup’s new realities. Therefore, many insiders have also noted that the Dillons have had recurring arguments with Childress over the team’s functioning and changes.

Another fan added, “It’s the same with Jack Roush. They don’t want to modernise and grow and adapt because they had so much success doing things their way in the past and to change now is like admitting they no longer know best. Brad put Roush back in contention, maybe a Dillon can do the same for RCR if pep-pep goes into a home,” which is true. RFK’s revival did follow a leadership pivot after Brad Keselowski became co-owner in 2022. Chris Buescher ripped off 3 wins in 2023 as RFK’s form surged, and Keselowski himself ended a 110-race drought at Darlington in 2024. The team then doubled down, expanding to a third Cup entry for 2025 and launching the RFK TeK Alliance to formalize data innovation. So, some believe that Austin Dillon would be able to do the same with RCR if given a chance.

One fan opined, “The reason Busch is there is because of him. I agree. I think years from now we will be talking about how Dillion turned that org around.” Austin Dillon openly helped bring Busch to RCR and then worked to build the platform that made the move meaningful. Dillon said that he “had to keep it down” while setting up the conversations that led to Busch’s signing. Busch’s move from Joe Gibbs Racing to RCR was announced publicly in September 2022 and credited inside the garage to Dillon making the first outreach and bridging the meeting between Busch and team leadership.

Others point to a string of concrete moments when arguing Childress’s old-school control has held RCR back, saying, “RC is the Jerry Jones of NASCAR and his stubbornness has cost that organization drivers like Harvick and Reddick and ultimately consistent success. He still operates like it’s 1993, at some point it’s time to realize the team has been mid for 20 years and he needs to pass the torch. When you have a guy like Kyle Busch in your cars and he looks as bad as he does it’s time for major changes. They need an RFK type of change and someone to bring in new ideas, maybe Dillon is that guy, who knows.” These narratives, including veteran exits to rare victories, fuel the fan argument that Childress‘s leadership style has cost RCR both talent and sustained success.

Whether RCR embraces sweeping change or clings to tradition, the coming seasons may determine if the stories team can reclaim its competitive edge. As the sport evolves, the crossroads RCR faces now could define its legacy for decades to come.