Is Austin Dillon related to Dale Earnhardt? Here's what you need to know

Many drivers in NASCAR today come from a family of racers, including Austin Dillon from Richard Childress Racing. Courtesy of his connection to RCR, Dillon is associated with arguably the best driver in the team's history, Dale Earnhardt Sr.

While Dillon is not related to Dale Sr., they had strong family ties as Dillon's grandfather and team owner, Richard Childress, brought the NASCAR legend to his organization and won six Cup Series championships together.

In a 2018 interview with NASCAR, Austin Dillon recalled the 1998 Daytona 500 when he joined Dale Earnhardt Sr. in victory lane, the late driver's first and only career win in the "Great American Race."

Dale Earnhardt Sr. won the 1998 Daytona 500 - Source: Getty

The North Carolina native, who was seven years old at the time, said he didn't see the value of the photo taken with Dale Sr. in victory lane until he got older.

"We were playing at MRO (Motor Racing Outreach) in the driver-owner lot and me and my brother were probably playing with our race cars truthfully and wondering why we were getting pulled away from what we were doing," Dillon said.

He added:

"Little did we know, that picture in victory lane would be used for years to come."

Meanwhile, Austin Dillon's younger brother, Ty, was also in the photo (see embedded Instagram post below) with Earnhardt Sr.'s daughter, Taylor.

“We had no clue what the importance of that race was, but we knew we were going to Victory Lane and we knew that was good [...] I remember just the excitement and the fun, everybody was just so happy. Everybody in that fenced-in area was excited," Ty Dillon said.

Another connection Dillon has with Earnhardt Sr. is the No. 3 racing number. When Dale Sr. passed away in the 2001 Daytona 500, the No. 3 was replaced with No. 29 with Kevin Harvick behind the wheel.

In 2014, team owner Richard Childress brought his eldest grandson in after Harvick left for Stewart-Haas Racing. Dillon, who came off a championship-winning run in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, debuted in the Cup Series as a full-time driver in the No. 3 Chevrolet.

The racing number returned to the premier series after 13 years.

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Austin Dillon paid tribute to Dale Sr. in Daytona 500 win

When Austin Dillon won his first Daytona 500 in 2018, the driver paid tribute to Dale Earnhardt Sr. He brought the No. 3 car back to the Daytona 500 victory lane after two decades.

"It is so awesome to take the No. 3 car back to victory lane 20 years [later]. This one is for Dale Earnhardt Sr. and all those Sr. fans. I love you guys, we're gonna keep kicking butt the rest of the year," Dillon said in a post-race interview.

Dillon won the race after taking the lead from Aric Almirola who spun after the two made contact on the final lap.

Today, the 34-year-old continues to drive the No. 3 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing. He won five races at the Cup level, including two Crown Jewel races (2017 Coca-Cola 600 and 2018 Daytona 500).

The 2025 season will mark the driver's 12th year in the premier series.