Did Richard Childress’ boys make the playoffs? Exploring the twisted fate of RCR despite triumphant 2024 NASCAR Cup Series moment

2024 has not been the ideal season for Richard Childress Racing. The North Carolina-based outfit was the first organization to win championships in the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series; yet this year, that same team failed to make the playoffs at the Cup level.

Richard Childress Racing has won over 117 Cup Series races, including three Daytona 500s and 16 championships across all three national series. Founded in 1969, the Chevy team has been home to legendary drivers like Robby Gordon, Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Burton, and Kevin Harvick in the past.

Today, Richard Childress Racing fields two cars in the NASCAR Cup Series: the No. 8, driven by two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, and the iconic No. 3, driven by none other than Richard Childress' grandson and 2018 Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon.

Dillon did hope to make the playoffs this year after winning at Richmond in August. However, NASCAR penalized the 34-year-old driver for allegedly wrecking Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano just before the finishing line. Dillon got to keep his win but was denied the playoff berth that came with it.

For Dillon's teammate, Kyle Busch, the season has been winless so far. This year, the veteran racer might even miss his 19-year streak of winning at least one race every season. Like Dillon, Busch too, did not qualify for the playoffs. This is the first time Busch has missed the playoffs since 2012.

Richard Childress Racing drivers gear up for Homestead-Miami Speedway amid playoff miseries

The NASCAR Cup Series is all set to hit Homestead-Miami Speedway this Sunday (October 27). It is the second race of the Round of 8 and only one driver (Joey Logano) has been able to book a spot in the coveted Championship 4 race that is expected to take place at Phoenix Raceway on November 10.

Other than Logano, only three drivers sit above the cutline. Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and William Byron. Below the cutline are Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott.

Although not in the playoff picture, Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon can always contend for the win. During an interview ahead of the main event (via Speedway Digest), Dillon said,

"I love racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It's my favorite track that we race at. Homestead-Miami Speedway is a driver's racetrack. It's so much fun to run right up against the fence. You have to be disciplined in how you drive and save your tires. It's an epic race. It's always intense. We can move around in the corners to find the best line..."

Busch agrees with what Dillon said about finding the best line to run at Homestead-Miami. But for him, the challenge lies in the fact that there are only 20 minutes of practice for each driver to determine which line would allow them to pack more speed.

"You have to go into practice at Homestead with a gameplan," Busch explained. "There are so many different lines you can run at Homestead and we have such a short time frame that it can certainly be challenging for sure. The line that you're going to use for the race is going to be significantly different than the line you use for qualifying so figuring out both of those with the short amount of time you have is very, very difficult."

Practice sessions will begin on Saturday (October 26), 9:05 am onwards followed by qualifyings from 9:50 am onwards. Fans can watch Sunday's event live on NBC Sports or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.