In all of the tributes and reactions pouring in from across the motorsports world and beyond, this one stands out. On Friday, Austin Dillon, the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and grandson of the team's namesake, posted the following letter to his social media.
RCR runs two full-time Cup cars, and for the past four seasons, those cars were driven by Dillon and his teammate, Kyle Busch.
Dillon, a winner of both the Coca-Cola 600 and Daytona 500, grew up in the shadow of a giant, and for the first ten years of his life, he got watch Dale Earnhardt carry RCR to glory. But then tragedy struck, and everything changed.
25 years later, history is sadly repeating itself for the historic NASCAR team, and this time, Dillon shared the track with the fallen champion whose loose has sent shockwaves through NASCAR.
In the following letter, Dillon memorializes Busch, explaining what he meant to RCR as the team was trying to build its way back to the top of the NASCAR scoring pylon, detailing how a man his grandfather once greatly disliked ultimately became part of the RCR family.
Austin Dillon's heartfelt letter to teammate Kyle Busch
"I love you brother. Myself and all of the RCR employees will keep fighting and striving for more victories in your memory." "My favorite conversations with you were our conversations about Brexton and his abilities on the race track. I know how happy and excited he made you. You raised one of the nicest, well-mannered kids, and that is a direct reflection of his parents. Sam is one strong woman and the best MOMager in the business. I promise to always be there for Sam, Brex, and Lennix. They are RCR family for life. "I can’t thank you enough, KB. You are the ultimate racer and my favorite teammate and driver of all time. I always felt like I had your back and you had mine. "I watched you battle with our race cars and spend countless hours in the sim trying to get results. I was most inspired by your fight when things got to their lowest. You stood your ground. People were talking, but they didn’t know the work that was being put in behind the scenes. That version of KB is the one I am most proud of. The one that was going to put us back where we wanted to be – in the Winner’s Circle. "Your mentality and mindset rubbed off on those around you, and the employees in the shop. They knew that you brought a standard of excellence. It wasn’t always roses. The wins got harder to come by, but the grind and mentality never changed. "As we started off your first season with RCR, you took off like you always did. You drove right to the front. But this time, you were in our car. You became family. I watched you work, push, prod, and bring instant success to RCR. "When we got closer to signing, I could tell how excited my grandpa was. I started hearing things like ‘He’s the only guy I’ve ever seen drive like Dale. He takes no prisoners.’ That made me happy, knowing my grandpa had a driver that got him fired up the way Dale did. "When you became available in 2023 it was a no brainer that we had to go after you. When I made the call, your response was hilarious. You asked, ‘Do you think your Grandpa would want me?’ I had already checked with my Grandpa, and his response was the same as yours, ‘Do you think he would want to come to RCR?’ I said ‘yes. You both are the same people. You are RACERS.’ "Throughout the years, I was able to compete against the guy at the Cup level where he won multiple championships and races. During that time frame, I had multiple different teammates each bringing something different to the table. "He loved racing so much that he decided to build his own race team while he drove. I had gained enough respect from him that he offered me the chance to drive for his new team. I was blown away that he had enough respect for me to offer me a ride. Admittedly, it didn’t go over so well with my Grandpa (and I’m not so sure that isn’t why he took off his watch that one time). "His Rowdy restarts were one of a kind. This guy could fire off faster than everyone and by the time his tires were shot it was time to pit. Once again, if you beat him, you really were doing something. It was almost an instant qualification that you might be a race car driver. "Moving from Friday to Saturday, well yeah, he owned Saturdays, too. At times, he looked like he was in a Cup car racing on Saturday. His intensity every lap and willingness to make any move inspired a generation of racecar drivers. "My Grandpa really hated losing to this guy, but I know he respected him. This guy literally owned the Truck Series. When he showed up, it was a good day if you finished second. As a driver, if you beat him, your truck was probably faster, so you never truly beat him, your team did. So, did anyone ever really beat him? I don’t know, but it felt dang good if you did because you felt like you accomplished something that day. "It was clear every race who had the most talent and who hated to lose the most. For obvious reasons, my family was never the biggest fan of this guy. He was the enemy at the time, and he was hard to beat. I could never really show my fandom, but secretly I was a fan. "I grew up around some great drivers that came through RCR, including Hall of Fame drivers. But during that time, there was one guy on another team, and we all knew that when he showed up, we were fighting for second place. "Growing up around my grandfather and watching him hold Dale in such high regards as a driver, friend, and competitor, I never thought anyone else could compare. It was plain and simple. There was Dale, and then there was everyone else. "I’ll start at the beginning. I grew up watching a larger-than-life figure drive race cars like he was born to do it. Dale was a superhero in my house and when he passed his legend only grew. The bar was set high from a young age. "Dear KB,
Dillon then ended this powerful letter by citing Proverbs 3:5, which reads: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Busch won three races in his first 15 starts with RCR back in 2023, and earned pole position for this year's Daytona 500. Though it was the one crown jewel win missing from his resume, he and RCR came close in recent years. Childress will no longer use the No. 8 car, changing to the No. 33 on its second entry. Dillon drives the No. 3, and is the first Cup driver to do so since Earnhardt died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
