It didn’t take a hot minute for the “nepotism” debacle to start after Bronny James, the teen son of legendary basketball player LeBron James, got picked up by the LA Lakers in the NBA draft. But the talks and debates on familial ties within sports are as old as the games themselves. And often, most are asking the same thing—does the name on the jersey really matter more than the talent on the field? Well, this debate could go on forever, and this issue isn’t just limited to basketball.

In NASCAR, there are legit “racing families”—from the Pettys to the Earnhardts and the Jarretts to the Gibbs. In fact, there are more than 12 such families in the sport. And therefore, the legacy and the talent on track are often questioned by fans whenever someone from these families steps forward. And away from the likes of Gibbs and Dillon, this time fans have shifted their focus to another name—Brian France. 

Brian France: A controversial legacy of changes, decline, and scandal

If there is anyone on the top of this nepotism hierarchy in NASCAR, it’s got to be Brian France! He is, after all, the grandson of NASCAR’s founder Bill France Sr. He is not a driver of any team, but the driver steering NASCAR as a sport. Brian France took over the position of CEO from his father, Bill France Jr in 2003. Under his leadership, NASCAR saw plenty of changes.

While some were great, most had people turning their eyebrows. And most notably, the reforms he got done didn’t sit well with the traditionalists.

• First, he introduced Chase for the cup just a year after sitting on the CEO throne. He decided to remove the points system and go for a playoff-style format, to increase competition. While surely it did increase the excitement level, it also garnered plenty of backlash for bringing unnecessary confusion to the sport. NASCAR traditionalists believed the previous point-based championship system was effective and well-established.
• Under his leadership, NASCAR also saw a 15% decline in race attendance and TV ratings by 2o14 —which is never a great thing. This was mostly due to traditionalists tuning out because they no longer related to the sport. In 2007, NASCAR track owners jad reported $467.4 million in track admissions revenue. But, a decade later, that figure had spiraled down to $215.1 million, or a staggering 54% decline. Moreover, the Achilles heel of his reputation was his arrest in 2018 when he was driving under the influence of a drug. He had to step down from his position.

Hence, it’s no surprise that this time around when Reddit was abuzz with the question of — the worst example of nepotism in NASCAR, his name was thrown around the most while Austin Dillon’s was defended.

Richard Childress is off the hook for now!

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Fans saw Brian France as someone who was trying to break apart the traditional identity of the sport, striving to push it, which was mostly southern-based, on the mainstream markets. However, it didn’t get the approval from the fans. They felt these tactics might be appealing to casual fans, not the core fanbase. Echoing that sentiment, a fan said, “Oh yeah, that f****ng idiot ruined so much of the legitimacy of NASCAR.”

Most fans even brought up Richard Childress’ grandson, Austin Dillon’s name, writing, “As much as people are gonna wanna say guys like Austin Dillon and others idk how anybody can top this [ Brian France] one.” The 34-year-old driver, up until recently, was the one mostly most bashed for his familial ties. Especially since he has been driving the legendary #3 car that Dale Earnhardt once drove, winning six of his seven Cup Series championships. On the contrary, ever since Dillon joined Richard Childress Racing in 2014, he has only won four races to date. Additionally, his highest finish in the points standings was 11th in 2022, 2020, 2017. 

Many felt that while Dillon may not be the best to fill in the #3 car, he still didn’t hurt the sport, with one Redditor writing, “That and Austin Dillon hasn’t actively harmed the sport with pretty much every move he’s made”

Richard Childress’s grandson might not be the best, but he sure is trying with the car week in and week out. One fan highlighted that and said, “I don’t think AD is really near the top at least not til lately. He’s got a truck and Xfinity championship which is plenty to get his cup ride to originally and 4 cup wins and multiple playoff appearances. He isn’t good by any means but people have been kept around for less than.”

Another fan didn’t mince words pointing at Brian France; he just said, “It’s him, easily.”

Do you agree with this? And do you think Austin Dillon gets the shorter end of the stick? Let us know in the comments.