NASCAR on TV this week

2-Headed Monster: The Austin Dillon Appeal Saga: Worthwhile Effort or Needless Distraction?

You know we’re in topsy-turvy world when Austin Dillon is dominating the headlines for two weeks in a row.

While he didn’t win or wreck anyone at Michigan International Speedway this week, he did have his initial appeal to have his win at Richmond Raceway still count for playoff eligibility, which was denied on Wednesday (Aug. 21).

Richard Childress Racing intends to continue to pursue their effort, however, with the Final Appeal Officer. With just two races remaining in the regular season and both Dillon and Kyle Busch needing wins to get in, is this the best use of their resources? This week, Brad Harrison and Luken Glover weigh the risk versus reward in 2-Headed Monster.

The Juice is not Worth the Squeeze

With only two races remaining in the regular season and no real indication that NASCAR will overturn RCR’s appeal, it’s time to go all-in and direct all focus to either winning at least one of the next two races to get into the playoffs or one of the final 10 regular-season races, whether the Childress cars are in the postseason or not.

See also
2-Headed Monster: Was NASCAR's Penalty for Austin Dillon and RCR Appropriate?

In RCR’s defense, having Dillon pulled from the playoffs would cost them millions of dollars and prevent them from making a playoff push, let alone negatively impacting the overall financial health of the organization.  

However, the problem is that the races have been few and far between in which RCR has shown it can be relevant in the playoffs. Richmond was the only race where Dillon had the speed to win, and Kyle Busch’s pace hadn’t been on par in months entering Michigan. If NASCAR overturned the appeal and Dillon was eliminated in the first round, that would do nothing to silence the critics. 

What RCR can focus on is building off the speed they have shown in the two races since the Olympic break. Dillon was undoubtedly the best car at the end of the Richmond race, and Busch was a legitimate contender for the win at Michigan. Looking at the two tracks ahead in the form of Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway, there are reasons for the team to be optimistic.

Busch has been strong at drafting tracks since moving over to RCR. He was in the hunt to win the Daytona 500 both last season and this year, and he finished seventh in the summer race a year ago. One of his three wins in the No. 8 also came at a drafting track, as he won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2023. 

Darlington has been a different story for the 39-year-old, who has finished outside the top 25 four times in the last six races there. However, while most focus was on his engine failure in the 2022 Southern 500 while he was still with Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch was likely on his way to victory had it not been for that mechanical issue. 

Meanwhile, Dillon is a legitimate threat to win at Daytona. He has done so twice in his Cup career, including a walk-off win in the 2022 regular-season finale. His fortunes haven’t gone well there since that victory, but he should still be a contender. 

Dillon’s Darlington history also reminds me of his Richmond resume. While those are two entirely different track types, both have served as welcome sights for the No. 3 team. The stats may not tell everything, but Dillon nearly won the Southern 500 in 2020. Just like Richmond, if they can bring a fast car and have a clean weekend, it feels like a track he could pull another upset on. 

If neither driver is able to capture a win, it would be disappointing, but it shouldn’t completely deflate the team’s season. RCR has endured a dismal campaign this year. Struggles to remain competitive in the 2010s gave way to a promising return to glory, between three wins from Tyler Reddick in 2022 and three more from Busch last season. 

But as this season has played out, both of Richard Childress’ drivers have been behind the curve. Unless the miraculous happens and NASCAR overturns Dillon’s penalty, he sits 29th in points. Ill-timed mistakes and misfortunes have put Busch in a must-win situation, while also jeopardizing his 19-year win streak. This has also led to changes within the team, including the departure of executive vice president Andy Petree. 

Would having the penalty revoked and seeing a car in the playoffs provide some relief on a disappointing season? Absolutely. Yet, a championship push is not in the cards, and there are present issues with not just just competing up front, but even being in the front half of the field.

If RCR wants to focus on righting the ship and getting a jump on returning to contention in 2025, then the best option is to put the Richmond controversy behind them. Dillon still gets credit for the win, and the organization can pinpoint that as proof that the ingredients are there to compete for more trophies. It’s a short-term sacrifice for the long-term gain. – Luken Glover

All Options Must Be Exhausted

Austin Dillon is hardly new to having to cope with the noise and being forced to block it out. 

From the moment that Richard Childress Racing announced that Dillon would become the first driver since Dale Earnhardt to pilot the No. 3 car in NASCAR’s top level, the spotlight became white-hot. Driving the same number of a car driven by one of the sport’s biggest icons is not easy. It probably was not a coincidence that in 1993, the year after Richard Petty’s retirement, Rick Wilson drove an STP car with the No. 44, not Petty’s trademark No. 43.

Detractors fired up in a big way once Dillon took to the track with the No. 3 car. Hang around race fans at the track and online enough, and you’re likely to find many who cling to the belief that nobody, especially Dillon, has any business driving the No. 3 car. 

Dillon has had no choice but to block out that noise, winning multiple races in the top level of NASCAR.

That’s why Richard Childress Racing should not apologize about taking its penalty levied against Austin Dillon to final appeal. Simply put, drivers and teams at this level are professionals, and you would expect them to latch on blinders and block all of that out. 

See also
'I'm Happy': Drivers Find Austin Dillon Penalty Fair

Even if the final appeal is unsuccessful, nobody at RCR should have any regret about taking it all the way. When you have sponsors like Dow Inc. and Bass Pro Shops, there’s the expectation that you fight, scratch, and claw for every last inch. Nothing says that more than scraping for the smallest chance that you may have for a postseason spot. 

We don’t know if the appeal will be successful for RCR, but we do know that it’s a fight that the organization will go to the final round when it comes to it. 

And for an organization whose owner is a racer at heart, you’d expect nothing less. Even if it means, to quote the Drive-By Truckers song lyric, to “surrender under protest if you must.”  – Brad Harrison

About the author

Brad joined Frontstretch.com in 2020 and contributes to the site's 5 Points To Ponder column and other roles as needed. A graduate of the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication, he has covered sports in some capacity for more than 20 years with coverage including local high school sports, college athletics and minor league hockey. Brad has received multiple awards for his work from the Georgia Press Association.

Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a contributor, furthering a love for racing that traces back to his earliest memories. Glover inherited his passion for racing from his grandfather, who used to help former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey in his Richmond, Va. garage. A 2023 graduate from the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is the author of "The Underdog House," contributes to commentary pieces, and does occasional at-track reporting. Additionally, Glover enjoys working in ministry, coaching basketball, playing sports, and karting.

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.


4 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
DoninAjax

I guess RCR has less “appeal” than Reverend Joe and Mr. H.

RCFX1

Was it more that Joey and especially Denny complained so much that Nascar did what they wanted? Or did Nascar do what should have been done? Austin’s spotter did them in.

John McManus

Time and technology passed Richard Petty and Jack Rouche. Time to go for Richard Childress .

John

It’s definitely a needless distraction. Childress needs to realize that apparently the only way his little grandson can win is by using his car as a battering ram.