Dale Earnhardt Jr. links Richard Childress' backing of Austin Hill amid controversy as echo of loyalty shown to his father's NASCAR clashes

Dale Earnhardt Jr. drew parallels between Richard Childress' defiant support of Austin Hill amid Indy controversy and the loyalty he once showed to his father during his on-track scuffles. He suggested that the veteran team owner probably believed that NASCAR's 'out to get them', a notion that's amplified ever since their penalty at Richmond last year.

Right after the Indianapolis race, Childress spoke to the media and publicly lashed out against NASCAR. He claimed that the sanctioning body was unfairly targeting his 'blue-collar team,' and his stance remained unchanged even after the one-race suspension was announced.

Although he acknowledged that Hill's derogatory comments on NASCAR could be avoided, Richard Childress implored the governing body to take 'a deep dive' into the issue and see for themselves that Hill was not at fault.

On the latest episode of Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. reflected on Childress' actions and said:

"There were times in the 80s and 90s where there was a little bit of that where dad would get penalized for rough driving and and boy you know Richard would be like you know NASCAR's wrong, they, you know, they screwed us".

Earnhardt Jr. later referenced last year's controversy at Richmond, where Austin Dillon's win was revoked after deliberately taking out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on a last-lap dash.

"What I'm seeing ain't nothing new, but it's just really aggravated. I think in this instance because of that Richmond result and how that was handled, they didn't love, and it just seems like ever since then Richard feels like that they're out to get them," he added.

Following the one-race ban at Iowa, Richard Childress Racing returned to Watkins Glen and scored a top-5 finish with Austin Hill. However, any result he produces won't earn him any playoff points since it's part of the penalty he received under the new 2025 regulations. As a respite from their troubles, NASCAR granted them a playoff waiver for sitting out the Iowa weekend.

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When Richard Childress revealed racing philosophy he shares with Dale Earnhardt

Back in 2011, Richard Childress spoke to ESPN's Ed Hinton and opened up about staying true to Dale Earnhardt's all-out racing mantra. He admitted that the philosophy might often backfire, but remained adamant about following it nonetheless.

"It goes back to some of the philosophy Dale (Earnhardt) and I planned many years ago. That's race as hard as you can, run up front all day to give these fans a show," he said.

Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt forged history when 'The Intimidator' returned to the team in 1984, marking an 18-year run together. Together, they won six of Earnhardt's seven Cup Series titles.

Following Earnhardt's demise in 2001, Childress was so distraught that he retired the famed No. 3 from full-time competition until his grandson Austin Dillon brought it back in 2014.