“They'd have done it to him; It's happened to us before” - Richard Childress defends Austin Dillon’s aggressive Richmond triumph

Austin Dillon’s grandfather and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) owner, Richard Childress, comes up in support of his grandson after the latter wrecked Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap to reach in victory lane in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on Sunday.

Dillon was in position to win when Ryan Preece and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. incident forced the race into overtime. On the final lap entering Turn 4, Dillon was running second behind race leader Joey Logano when Dillon knocked Logano out of his way.

Then, the #3 driver also wrecked Hamlin, sending him into the outside wall and crossing the finish line in P1. It was his first win in NASCAR’s top-tier series since the 2022 season.

During the post-race press conference, Richard Childress addressed Dillon’s controversial win. Childress stated that Logano and Hamlin would have made the same aggressive move to Dillon if they were in a position to win a race. He also mentioned that he taught Dillon throughout his life to do whatever it takes to win a race.

On his grandson’s aggressive Richmond triumph, Childress said:

“I knew what he knew he had to do. They would have done it to him; you know, it's one of those deals that when it comes down to winning a race and you're in that position and you're hungry, you do what it takes, and that's what I've told him all his life.”

When asked about if it happened to their team, Childress said:

“Well, if you've been around racing as long as I have, you've seen this happen a whole lot. And I think NASCAR will handle it just like they do in this race. And that's what they do. It's happened to us before.”

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Richard Childress is proud to see his grandson back in victory lane

Austin Dillon was going through a rough patch in his NASCAR Cup Series career. He had only three top-10 finishes and was standing 32nd in the points table before Richmond's victory. It was his first win in nearly two years, and the win locked his automatic playoff berth.

In the post-race interview, Richard Childress expressed his deep pride and satisfaction in seeing Dillon getting back to his winning path. RCR owner said:

“Anytime you win, and especially when you see your family, grandson, go out and win it. I’ve been in a lot of winner’s circles with him over the years, dirt tracks, late model ARCA, trucks, all of ’em. It just gives you that great feeling. I know how hard [Austin Dillon]’s worked for it.”