"I was the assistant groundskeeper": When Austin Dillon reflected on earning his first paycheck from Richard Childress

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon, in a conversation with USA Today, revealed what his first paycheck related to the world of racing was for. Dillon has been driving for Richard Childress Racing full-time since 2014 in the Cup Series, along with two full-time seasons with the team in the Xfinity Series (2012-2013) and the Truck Series (2010-2011) as well.

Chairman and CEO of RCR is Richard Childress who is also Austin Dillon's grandfather. In an interview from 2015, Dillon was asked about his first paycheck, which possibly came from Richard Childress' racing organization. He said (via USA Today):

"I was the assistant groundskeeper at the (Richard Childress Racing) shop. I helped weed-eat. I got a check from RCR I think for like $400, although it might have just been cash from my dad."

He also gave some detail to his work that earned him the four hundred dollars:

"There’s a shop at the very back that’s on a hill, and it was full of monkey grass. They sent me on that hill for like two days and cleaned the whole thing out. And still to this day, no one has ever weed-eated it again. I don’t know why I got sent back there since no one ever did it again."

Austin Dillon's time as a driver with RCR has proven to be successful, with one Xfinity Series championship in 2013, and one Truck Series championship in 2011. In the Cup Series, he has achieved wins at the Daytona 500 in 2018, and the Cocal Cola 600 in 2017.

Overall, Dillon has achieved five wins in the Cup Series, along with twenty-three Top 5s and eighty Top 10s, all coming with his grandfather's racing team. The 34-year-old has achieved a highest 11th place finish in the standings with RCR thrice, in 2017, 2020 and 2022.

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Austin Dillon gives his way of dealing with angry drivers

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon (3) races during the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. - Source: Imagn

In the interview from a decade ago, Dillon was also asked about what his go-to method is for dealing with drivers who are upset after a race. The #3 driver's choice is to just be honest.

He said (via USA Today):

"If somebody is pissed at me and they confront me, I’ll talk to them. I’ll tell them my opinion. I’m pretty honest, and I’ll tell them how I feel about it. I’ll say straight up if I screwed up; if not, I’ll tell them the situation I was in. If they don’t agree, they can just screw off."

Austin Dillon ended the past season in the Cup Series in 32nd place in the standings, after his qualifying win at Richmond Raceway that should've guaranteed him a spot in the playoffs was voided due to him crashing into Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. His win at Richmond was the only victory he achieved this past season.