Ty Dillon’s grandfather Richard Childress was a longtime dear friend and championship car owner for the late, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt. When asked if Dillon had watched any of the well-received and recently released Amazon Prime documentary “Earnhardt,” he conceded he hasn’t had a chance yet, but smiled recalling some fond memories he shared with the great champion.
“I was very young at that time, but I just knew Dale (Earnhardt Sr.) from my perspective as a guy that when we were little and we were at the racetrack, he would come and bug my brother [Austin] and I, whether it was pinching us behind the neck or grabbing us as hard as he could to get our attention,” Dillon said.
“And we didn’t really like that. We were kind of scared of him. But man, we grew up every weekend, and where Dale finished determined our week. We got pizza if Dale won, so that was a celebration in our house.”
Dillon, driver of the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, is making his first NASCAR Cup Series start at Nashville since 2023 when he led four laps but finished 32nd. He’s ranked 31st in the championship standings.
“Just knowing that kind of perspective after being in sport as a driver myself was crazy,’’ Dillon said of the Earnhardt docuseries. “But the impact he [Earnhardt] had on my grandfather, my family, and everybody at RCR, and what that has become because of him and my grandfather’s relationship, obviously means so much to myself and our family and everybody in sport.
“He was a giant in our sport and a legend. It’s just awesome that we continue to talk about him, and the documentary continues to bring his name to the light because he has done so much for what the sport is.”
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