Perhaps now, Austin Dillon
will finally get the respect he’s due.
The Welcome, NC native,
grandson of legendary NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, has spent most of
his adult life dodging allegations of nepotism leveled by those who believe his
place in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series owes more to genetics than
talent.
“Born with a silver spoon in
his mouth,” they say. “Born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.”
Those critics willfully ignore
the dozens of formative wins Dillon claimed on dirt tracks across the south.
They discount his seven Camping
World Truck Series victories and his 2011 Truck Series championship.
They overlook his eight NASCAR
Xfinity Series wins and the 2013 title.
None of that matters, they say.
It’s nothing more than a handout from a deep-pockets team owner to his spoiled,
rich-kid grandson.
In the aftermath of Sunday
night’s career-defining victory in the 60th annual Daytona 500, it
may finally be time for the Dillon bashers to pipe down.
Dillon’s
Daytona win was his second as a MENCS driver. The first -- in last year's
Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway – was a fuel-mileage win, allowing
the critics to persist in their view that Dillon had not earned his place at the NASCAR table. But with wins in two of the sport’s most prestigious
events now on his resume, the outgoing Dillon has all the ammunition he needs
to tune-out the Negative Nellies, once and for all.
"I
did what I had to do there at the end," said Dillon of a chaotic final lap that
saw leader Aric Almirola spin after attempting to block Dillon’s fast-closing Dow
Chevrolet in Turn Three. "I hate it for (Almirola's) guys. We had a run,
and I stayed in the gas. It is what it is here at Daytona.”
While
some viewed Dillon’s last-lap tactics as underhanded, Almirola was not among
them.
"It
was the last lap and we're all trying to win the Daytona 500," he said, after
limping his damaged racer home in a disappointing 11th-place. "It's the
biggest race of the year and it's a career-changing race, so we were racing
really aggressively. I used every move I knew to try and stay in the lead. Unfortunately,
I just wasn't able to hold on.
"I
saw him come with the momentum, and I pulled up to block and did exactly what I
needed to do to try to win the Daytona 500. I wasn't going to just let him have
it. He got to my back bumper and was pushing and just hooked me. He's not
driving too aggressively, he's trying to win the Daytona 500, just like I was.”
Dillon acknowledged his critics
during a raucous Victory Lane celebration, saying, "My grandfather has
done everything for me. Everybody knows it. There is a lot of pressure on me to
perform… but I like that pressure. The same with the No. 3. There is a lot of
pressure behind that.
"But
I'm willing to take that and go with it. I'm just thankful for all the people
that support us along the way; Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family for letting us
bring this number back. It comes full circle. I just can't thank the Lord
enough for this opportunity."
Sunday’s Daytona 500 triumph –
authored 20 years to the day after the legendary Dale Earnhardt, Sr. drove Childress’
iconic No. 3 to Victory Lane in the Great American Race – should be enough to
finally extinguish the bonfire of second-guessing that has plagued Dillon from
Day One.
Sure, “Pop Pop” has provided
the best possible equipment to both of his racing grandsons over the years. But
what grandparent would do anything less? Don’t we all devote every resource at our
disposal to help our children and grandchildren succeed in their lives and
careers? Devotion to family should be applauded, not condemned.
A driver who has now won major
races in all three NASCAR National Series – and championships in two of them –
deserves better treatment than Dillon has received to date from the sport’s often-overcritical
railbirds.
Austin
Dillon has earned his place. At a level of the sport where every top contender
enjoys world-class equipment and technological support, Dillon has won races.
The records do not lie.
And
as Dillon posed for a series of celebratory photos with his jubilant team and the
Harley J. Earl Trophy Sunday night, he had the satisfied look of a man who had
finally answered his critics.
Silver
Spoons no longer required.
