The comparisons were inevitable! Especially after Austin Dillon took over the iconic No. 3 Richard Childress Racing car, famously driven by the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. for 17 years. After the events at Richmond Raceway, the North Carolina native was compared to The Intimidator once again, purely for the No. 3 car in common and how Dillon went on to get his first win of the season. The latter not only sent Joey Logano into the wall but also spun Denny Hamlin in the final lap to secure his first win in nearly two years.

Despite Jimmie Johnson and Kenny Wallace drawing parallels between Dale Sr. and Austin Dillon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has come into defense of his father, saying that the events in Richmond aren’t comparable to anything the seven-time Cup Series champion had done throughout his illustrious career.

Austin Dillon had a comfortable three-second lead with just two laps remaining at Richmond Raceway. However, a wreck involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece forced a caution, resulting in an overtime. When the race resumed, Dillon didn’t have the best of starts and was quickly overtaken by Joey Logano, but the 34-year-old fought back for his position, rear-ending the Team Penske driver’s No. 22 Ford and forcing him into the wall. While the altercation was ongoing, Denny Hamlin tried to sneak up on Dillon, but his No. 11 Toyota was forced into a spin just before Richard Childress’ grandson went past the checkered flag.

While the nature of Austin Dillon’s victory drew comparisons with The Intimidator’s style of driving, Dale Earnhardt Jr. disagreed with the thought. The 49-year-old said on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, “You know, dad was rough. He had a little spell, especially in that blue and yellow car where 86 and 87, he got pretty rough.” Highlighting that it is difficult to compare different eras in NASCAR, the former Hendrick Motorsports driver went on to say, “I think that back then, certainly a different time, I don’t know if I ever saw dad ever clean two of them out in the last corner.”

After Dillon’s win at Richmond Raceway, seven-time Cup Series winner Jimmie Johnson took to X and wrote, “Dale Sr vibes,”  highlighting the Richard Childress Racing driver’s desire to win at all costs being a quality that The Intimidator possessed as well. Meanwhile, Kenny Wallace went on to say that Dillon’s actions at Federated Auto Parts 400 were similar to what Dale Earnhardt Sr. did to Terry Labonte at Bristol, even though Wallace admitted that Dillon’s actions were “wrong.”

When told that Austin Dillon shares a similar mentality to Dale Sr by a journalist, his grandfather Richard Childress replied, “Whatever it takes. I’m so proud of him.”

Over the years, Dillon has faced intense criticism from NASCAR fans, who have blamed him for failing to live up to the legacy of the No. 3 Chevrolet. While Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s shadow has been looming large on the 34-year-old’s career for a very long time, Dillon has distanced himself from any parallels being drawn, comparing his teammate to the legendary seven-time Cup Series winner instead.

Even Austin Dillon passed down the baton to Rowdy

Heading into the race, Dillon was 32nd in the driver rankings, and success at Richmond’s short track was his fifth Cup Series career victory. As things stand, he will make it to the playoffs if NASCAR doesn’t punish him for the incident with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. However, there is a big question mark surrounding his race win, as NASCAR is set to share their verdict on Wednesday after the controversial finish at the Federated Auto Parts 400.

Responding to the comparisons with Dale Sr., Austin Dillon shared his thoughts with the media by saying, “It never crossed my mind to tell you the truth. It happened that way. Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of races with Dale moving guys, pissing people off. A lot of people booed him throughout his career. I think Kyle Busch is the closest thing we’ve had to a Dale Earnhardt Sr. I’m not that. I’m Austin Dillon. I’m just going to try hard.”

With just three races remaining before playoffs begin, Austin Dillon will hope that NASCAR lets him keep his win as well as his playoff spot so that he makes it to the postseason. As for Kyle Busch, the Richard Childress Racing driver will hope to channel his inner ‘Dale Earnhardt Sr.’ at Michigan International Speedway and replicate Dillon’s result, hoping it will be enough to get him out of the longest winless streak of his career.

Do you think Austin Dillon will be punished for the controversial finish at Richmond Raceway? Let us know in the comments!