“He got his ride because of his name”: When Denny Hamlin shared an unfiltered reaction for Richard Childress’ grandson following their on-track feud

In 2012, NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon got involved in a post-race feud at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin, who was running part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing finished fifth while Dillon, who was in his rookie Xfinity season driving for Richard Childress Racing, finished sixth.

As the 2012 Xfinity race ended in Texas, Dillon with his No. 3 Chevy crowded Hamlin's Toyota on the pit road, and in retaliation, the three-time Daytona 500 winner went door-to-door and slammed Dillon to the inside wall. Thus, resulting in a post-race confrontation between both teams.

In a 2012 post-race conversation with Jamie Little, Denny Hamlin gave his unfiltered opinion of Dillon, the grandson of RCR owner Richard Childress.

"First of all, he got his ride because of his name," Hamlin said. "Second of all, you've got to take advantage of the opportunity. If he's points racing, you can't crowd a guy that's running (for wins). I'm on the bottom; I'm all the way to the apron. I'm doing everything I can, and after the checkered flag, he wants to run into me – so I ran him into the fence." (0:45 onward)

"Danny (Stockman, Dillon's crew chief) says, 'Look, he ain't got to fix it.' Maybe he needs to take his little ass over there and fix the race car if he wants to keep wrecking. He needs to learn a lesson," Hamlin added.

Austin Dillon had an impressive rookie Xfinity season, managing two wins and finishing third in the final driver's standings. Moreover, after another Xfinity season with RCR, Dillon bagged a full-time ride with Childress and took the reins of the iconic No.3 Chevy which was not in use after Dale Earnhardt died in 2001.

---

"I'll always act with class": When Austin Dillon fired a response on losing a win to Denny Hamlin

Austin Dillon driving the No.3 Chevrolet and Denny Hamlin driving the No. 11 Toyota. - Source: Imagn

Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon continued their part-time stint after driving full-time for their respective teams, which led to another late-race moment between the two NASCAR drivers in the 2015 Xfinity race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

After the race, Dillon shared his thoughts after Hamlin nudged him for the win and said (via USA Today Sports):

"He called me a spoiled rich kid at Texas two years ago, and I hate it. He said check the last name. I said my last name's Dillon, not Childress. But he is my grandfather. I'll always act with class. Everybody in the media knows that. I've worked my way here like anyone else. With Denny acting like that, what does he want me to call him? I don't do that. I know how to act," Dillon said.

Since then, the two Cup drivers have come a long way but the feud seemingly isn't over between the two. Coming back to the past season, Dillon spun Hamlin on the final lap of the 2024 Richmond race for the win in August. Thus, turning it into a big controversy in NASCAR.