Fan's Eye View ~ Silver Spoons: The Unfortunate And Inaccurate Judgment Of The Dillon Boys
1/21/2013
Jim Fitzgerald
When Richard Childress announced that the No. 3 was going to return in 2014 to the Sprint Cup Series for the first time in thirteen years, there was a great deal of cheer and applause from one side of the NASCAR household. These are the fans who have wanted the No. 3 to come back since, well, since some point after the 2001 Daytona 500. There was great rejoicing, and the natives were happy.
Then, just as audible, came a roar from the other side of the house, and it was an angry one. This one came from the folks who wanted the No. 3 retired, because there was only one Dale Earnhardt, and no one else could ever lace up his race booties. There was great ire, and the natives considered revolution.
The battle, of course, still rages on, one side versus the other, and while there is a clear winner in the triumphant “for” fans, the other side of the house, the runner-up group of “against” fans, still has its soap box and will stand atop it at any available opportunity and scream foul. Fair enough, we all have our right.
A side order to this towering club sandwich of diversity is the unfortunate backlash which is aimed at the recently confirmed driver of the returning No. 3, one Austin Dillon, grandson to car owner Richard Childress. This backlash, while a pre-existing condition, has rooted and blossomed into a full scale garden of weeds. It has been stated by some, numerous times, that the only reason that Austin Dillon, as well as his younger brother Ty, has been given this great racing opportunity is because of their monetarily well off and racing savvy Pop-Pop.
Please forgive this response, as it may be a little harsh, yet simple. “Well, duh!”
As if anyone in Richard Childress’ boots would have done it any differently. I can see it now.
Austin and Ty Dillon: “Pop-Pop, we want to race cars. We wanna go fast.”
Angry Armchair Childress’: “Better get a paper route.”
No, I’m guessing if anyone, especially a race fan, was presented with that same situation, the result would have been the same as Childress’ actual response. It’s what folks do as parents and grandparents. You nurture and foster the growth of your children and your children’s children. It’s a natural thing. You support the ones you love.
Additionally, Ol’ RC didn’t go into all willy-nilly and hap-hazard, tossing the young kids into the ultra-expensive world of high-profile auto racing. He formulated a nice plan, and he used that plan with both of his grandsons.
“Hey kid, run this car for a while and we’ll see how you do. If it works, we’ll talk.”
Well, that car was a little bitty thing with four tires and a steering wheel. And they ran that car, and they did well with it. When it came time to grow, Childress helped again, and said, “Now try this one.” It was a little bigger, and a little faster than that little bitty thing, and they ran them, and they did well. And then, Pop-Pop put them in a different car, bigger, and a little faster, and so on and so forth. Sure, you can argue that it was a big pile of Richard Childress provided cash that allowed them to race. But what is not to be missed is the fact that they were successful. That’s the reason that Pop-Pop kept putting them into newer, faster, and bigger equipment in more and more different series’. From ARCA to the Canadian Tire Series to the K&N Pro Series East to the Truck Series to the Nationwide Series, there has been success along the way. Not just a good run here and there, and not just wins, but Championships.
Sure, it may have been a well-funded run, but would Childress have continued to pour money into the plan if it showed no hope of ever going to wherever his grandchildren wanted to go? Probably not. They won races, they won Rookie of the Year titles, and they won Most Popular Driver awards. They got stuff done, and they did it with some family money.
Now, here’s the shocker. It’s not a new concept. Chase Elliott was recently announced as the driver of the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports. Geez…do you think he made it this far without any help from Awesome Bill? Do you think Brad Keselowski didn’t receive any help from Bob? What about Martin Truex, Jr. There’s a reason he’s not just “Martin Truex” to us, and it’s because his dad was a racer. No help for dad, there? Doubtful. All we heard about as Jeff Gordon was making his name in the sport was how his step-father, John Bickford was a guiding hand in his growth. Here’s one for you. Some guy they now call “The King.” His dad’s name was Lee, and he owned the company that fielded cars for his son, and eventually his grandson as well, and then his great-grandson, Adam, too.
There is no doubt that the examples of drivers provided had some help, but they also had to claw and scratch along the way as well, because money can’t buy everything. It may buy you a fast car and a good crew, but if the execution, if the talent isn’t there, the formula still fails.
And now, Austin Dillon is in the Sprint Cup Series, ready to take the No. 3 back out on the track for the first time in many years, and he’s going to be under tremendous pressure, but not unlike any that he’s felt before. After all, he is the grandson of one of the most successful car owners in the history of the sport, and he’s been driving a car with a No. 3 on the side for years.
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