How would you feel if somebody completely forgot about your existence? Well, Richard Childress’ grandson Austin Dillon had to face that grim reality at the hands of Kevin Harvick recently! The Richard Childress Racing driver has had a largely uneventful 2024 season so far. With only two Top-10s so far, and not even making it to a win or a Top-5, his last win came at the 2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400. And, now to add insult to that injury, it seems, the 34-year-old will have to walk the extra mile to make him unforgettable!

Is Richard Childress Racing falling short on equipment?

Austin Dillon’s last win came with crew chief Justin Alexander at the helm. Then, Keith Rodden replaced Alexander as crew chief in 2023 (before ultimately leaving the role to Alexander this year), following which the Richard Childress No. 3 Chevrolet finished in the Top-5 just once, with a P3, at the 2023 Food City Dirt Race in Bristol.

The 34-year-old has always been under scrutiny, especially because he is Richard Childress’ grandson. Many believe that his spot in the team, or the NASCAR Cup Series, is undeserving. His performances this season haven’t helped his case either, despite being reunited with Alexander, with whom he collected three podium finishes and a string of top 10s in 2022. Dillon has failed to recapture that magic this season, which Kevin Harvick reiterated in his podcast, Harvick’s Happy Hour.

The veteran said, “They’ve been so quiet that we forgot they were there. I mean, you know at some point you have to really start to turn that situation upside down. They did the crew chief, but that really hasn’t seemed to move the needle.”

While Dillon has been subjected to considerable criticism for his performances, Harvick believes that his team must share some blame for the lack of speed. Citing another struggling RCR driver, Kyle Busch’s example, Harvick continued candidly, “But I look at Kyle Busch’s car, I see his scenario and the speed is not 100% where it needs to be on his car either. I look at Kyle as the leader of the RCR team and the speed, things that they need.”

Looking at the two-time Cup champion’s lackluster finishes this season, Harvick’s statements don’t seem too far-fetched. So far, the driver has made it to five Top-10s and two Top-5s. While this number isn’t too bad, looking at Busch’s past performances, 2024 does fade in comparison. And even Kyle Busch seemed to acknowledge that the cars might not be where they need to be. Talking to Frontstretch, the driver talked about how race wins can be unpredictable and even easy at times, but at the same time, it’s the equipment that matters.

“It doesn’t take a whole lot to be able to get these things done, but you do have to have good race cars, and you do have to keep your head on your shoulders for a whole 400-500 miles,” the veteran racer said. 

And, as for Austin Dillon, he might be battling the same issues, according to the 2014 Cup Series champion. “You take that back a step to Austin Dillon’s car, they definitely don’t have the speed. We’ve only seen enough speed out of that car maybe once or twice this year to where it needs to be. Definitely not a situation that I’m sure Richard Childress wants to be in. I think Austin probably expects a lot more out of himself and the team as well. It is definitely so quiet that you don’t know they’re there.”

But it’s not the first time that the team has been questioned by its drivers!

Strategy woes for Austin Dillon

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With the short-track race at Iowa Speedway on the horizon, Austin Dillon will remember the strategy fiasco that took place in another short-track earlier this season in Richmond. According to SiriusXM’s NASCAR Radio host Davey Segal, Dillon had some strong words for his team on the radio.

He stated, “We have dumb**s strategy every f*cking week! We’re indecisive, we don’t know what to do!” The outburst prompted his grandfather, Richard Childress, to be the voice of reason, replying with, “Settle down, drive the car and focus here. It ain’t doing no good talking. Just focus.“

Despite struggling for speed throughout the season so far, Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet showed some signs of life at Gateway, where he finished a season-high P6.

But it was business as usual at Sonoma, where he was involved in a pileup at Turn 11, and ended up finishing 36th. Dillon now sits 31st in the points standings, two places worse than his career-worst 29th place last season. Despite the criticism Dillon has faced this season, his team must share some blame, especially for strategy blunders.

It remains to be seen if Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing have learned from the many failures of the 2024 NASCAR season. As things stand, Dillon could end the season in a career-worst 31st place while Kyle Busch could fail to win a single race for the first time in his career.

Do you think Austin Dillon will turn his season around? Let us know in the comments!