Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants Austin Dillon to retire from driving and take over the reins at Richard Childress Racing.
On "The Dale Jr. Download" podcast, Earnhardt said he thinks Dillon should transition away from driving and into the business side of the company.
"If I was Austin, I would be looking for the exit ramp," Earnhardt said. "If there is a path for Austin Dillon to become the face of RCR in the same vein that Richard Childress is the face of that organization, I would be looking for that exit ramp if I was Austin. And saying I want to get into the business side of our organization as soon and fast as possible to be able to understand exactly how this thing needs to run."
Dillon is currently 33 years old. That means if he stays in the car, he has around 10 more good years of racing ahead of him. Dillon is about to complete his 10th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. The numbers for Dillon are nothing earth-shattering. He has four wins, 22 top 5s, 75 top 10s, six poles, an 18.1 average finish, and 376 laps led.
There are no signs of Dillon making any strides at being a top contender in the NASCAR Cup Series, as he has amassed a series-leading 10 DNFs (did not finish) this season. Dillon currently sits 29th in the Cup Series standings with an average finish of 22nd, while his new teammate, Kyle Busch, made the playoffs and has three wins on the season.
When Busch was brought to Richard Childress Racing, Dillon was credited with the idea. Dillon made the first call to Busch to see if he had any interest. This may have been the first sign that Dillon was looking at an opportunity to be leader for the organization on the business side.
Dillon can make his way out of the car slowly and work into a higher-up role at RCR. There is time to learn everything he needs to know as his grandfather, Richard Childress, and father, Mike Dillon, are still there on an everyday basis.
With the lack of production in the NASCAR Cup Series, Dillon may have to pivot to the business side of Richard Childress Racing to make himself the face of the organization.
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