“I don’t feel like I could’ve given any more”: Richard Childress’ grandson gets candid about his crushing Bowman Gray turnaround

NASCAR veteran Richard Childress' grandson Austin Dillon failed to qualify for Sunday night's (February 2) historic race at The Clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium. Dillon opened up about his run on the track in a post-qualifying race interview with Frontstretch.

Austin Dillon's name was on the list of drivers to compete in the last-chance qualifier race. He competed against formidable opponents such as Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson, RFK Racing's Chris Buescher, and Wood Brothers Racing driver John Hunter Nemechek to secure his spot in the main event.

However, Dillon fell one spot short of qualifying for the race for The Clash in the final heat race. He did everything to move on to the main event and finished third after Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher in the qualifying race. Reflecting upon the same, Dillon said [02:50 onwards]:

"Definitely proud of the effort. You know, I don't feel like I could have given any more; the team could have given any more, you know."

"It's our first race communicating with my new, uh, crew chief, which was awesome. Um, I love his confidence over the radio, so there was a lot of good from today, and just, you know, being the first one out sucks, but everything else we did, you know, we finished as proudly as we could today," he added.

Austin Dillon wanted to succeed in The Clash as his grandfather Richard Childress competed for a long time at The Madhouse before venturing into his NASCAR career.

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“Richard Childress bought his first car for 50 bucks and raced here at Bowman Gray”: Mike Joy reveals NASCAR boss' early struggles

NASCAR returned to the historic Bowman Gray Stadium after a long hiatus of 54 years since 1971. Reflecting upon the same, Mike Joy recalled and shared how Richard Childress began racing on the track with a $50 car during his initial racing days.

Before venturing into NASCAR, Childress sold peanuts and popcorn at the Bowman Gray Stadium in the 1950s. He used to walk about five miles from home to the track to support his family and enjoy the races.

Commentator Mike Joy revealed that Richard Childress bought his first car for $50 and competed at the Bowman Gray Stadium.

"Richard Childress bought his first car for 50 bucks and raced here at Bowman Gray," Joy was quoted as saying by Digital Gashouse's X account.

Childress bought a used 1947 Plymouth driven as a taxi cab to compete in races before deciding to buy another car with his friend to start a two-car lineup. The investment laid the foundation stone, with the NASCAR veteran forming a team in 1969.

As of now, the Richard Childress Racing team competes in the Cup Series, and the lineup features his grandson Austin Dillon behind the #3 Chevy Camaro ZL1 and two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch piloting the #8 RCR car.