Herm & Schrader Podcast – August 21, 2025

Episode: Austin Dillon: The Revival of RCR & Reaction To The 2026 NASCAR Schedule

Overview

This episode of "Herm & Schrader," hosted by Kenny Wallace, spotlights the recent resurgence of Richard Childress Racing (RCR), fresh off Austin Dillon’s pivotal win at Richmond. The conversation dives deep into the familial bonds fueling RCR, team dynamics, the up-and-down journey of the 2025 NASCAR season, and immediate reactions to the newly released 2026 NASCAR schedule. As always, the tone is candid, hilarious, heartfelt, and occasionally irreverent, with Wallace and Dillon opening up about racing, legacy, family, and the ever-evolving NASCAR landscape.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. Living the Moment: Dillon’s Richmond Victory

[02:51–07:13]

• Austin reflects on his Richmond win, calling it “the biggest of my career,” even bigger than the Daytona 500, because he now shares it with his wife and kids in Victory Lane.
• Emotional stories about his daughter Blaze celebrating (“She's a little Whitney Dylan already... For the last two, three days, I'm the king.” – Austin Dillon, [06:46]).
• The special feeling of having family in Victory Lane: "When you're single, you're out there racing... then you want people to experience it with you, because that's the fun in it." (Austin Dillon, [05:45]).

2. The New RCR: Growing Pains and Turning Points

[17:08–33:56]

• The team’s struggles earlier in the season, highlighted by Richard Childress’s post-Dover comments: "We got drivers, we don't have race cars!" sparked candid internal conversations and reenergized the organization.
• Key hiring decisions last November (Richard Boswell, John Klausmeier from Stewart-Haas) are now bearing fruit (“We made some really good hires... we’re finally getting to a point where you’re starting to see some of that.” – Austin Dillon, [21:58]).
• Candid internal conversations between Dillon and his new crew chief improved communication and led to stronger teamwork.
• Austin describes RCR as “blue collar... we're fighters over here,” likening the team to Monty Python’s Black Knight—refusing to quit, no matter how battered.

3. Racing and Legacy: Family and The Last of the Mohicans

[23:34–38:14]

• Wallace and Dillon discuss how Richard Childress and Richard Petty are the “last of the Mohicans”—the remaining old-school racer-owners.
• Dillon on Childress: “I look at him as like an Elvis of the garage... when he walks in there he's going to have that white button up, those Wranglers.” ([25:12])
• Emotional insights into the evolving grandparent-grandchild relationship as Austin and Ty take on more responsibility at RCR.
• RCR’s heritage is protected by deep-rooted family values: “Nobody is gonna love RCR like you and your brother Ty and your dad.” (Wallace, [30:36])
• The presence of RCR lifers like Danny Lawrence and “Chocolate” Myers underscore the team’s continuity.

4. Building Team Culture

[39:37–41:38]

• Wallace highlights the crew’s rare bond, noting that Dillon’s crew sticks together in good times and bad.
• Dillon: “We signed them up early on, and they committed to us, committed to me. I mean, through some struggles and stuck with us. And they're a good crew.”
• The crew is compared to Earnhardt’s legendary “junkyard dogs,” with a playful nod to how their antics occasionally destroy lawnmowers and golf carts during post-win celebrations.

5. Reflecting on Achievements

[41:38–44:41]

• Wallace lists Dillon’s impressive career stats, from Truck and Xfinity championships to Daytona 500 and Coca Cola 600 wins.
• Dillon humbly reflects: “You forget about a lot of that when you're just in the grind out here... The commitment to being solid as long as you can. When you get a win like this past weekend, you think, well, maybe we can get a couple more.”
• Emphasis on continued motivation and the hunger for future wins.

6. NASCAR’s New 2026 Schedule: Rapid-Fire Reactions

[53:56–62:46]

• First reactions to the schedule’s unveiling, as Wallace calls for Dillon’s real-time insights.
  • North Wilkesboro: “Best repave I’ve ever been a part of. Pumped that it’s a points race. It’s close to home. There’s so many positives about it.” ([54:45])
  • Dover as All Star Race: Dillon and Wallace crack jokes about the difficulty of racing into the All-Star at Dover (“Could you imagine, trying to get in at Dover, getting aggressive at Dover?” – Dillon, [59:08])
  • Chicagoland Return: Dillon is excited, noting the track always produces good racing and is glad to have “one less road course.”
  • Naval Base Coronado: Dillon lauds the military tie-in: “I love when our sport ties to military and patriotism. This could be a really patriotic moment for our sport.” ([58:32])
  • Schedule Flow: Dillon appreciates back-to-back West Coast races to reduce travel jetlag and the addition of another off weekend.
  • Rotating Championship Venue: Dillon is thrilled NASCAR will move the championship away from Phoenix: “Homestead is a great place for a championship, always has been... Vegas might be one of them, which would be pretty cool.” ([64:43])

7. NASCAR, Fans, and the Future

[61:39–64:17]

• On NASCAR hiring a firm to “bring back core fans”—Dillon: “We need all the fans we can get... I don’t know how they do it. Is it like Instagram where you can buy followers?” (lighthearted jab, [61:44])
• Both acknowledge NASCAR’s ongoing identity struggles (“Somehow we pissed all the fans off”), and debate whether one race per track is best to guarantee sell-outs.
• Dillon suggests playoff points could be awarded only among playoff drivers, not the entire field.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's the biggest win of my career... I've won the Daytona 500, but… you want people to experience it with you."
  — Austin Dillon ([05:36])
• “Richard Boswell… he carried an old Dale Earnhardt hat in his backpack all year. He pulled it out in Victory Lane and that’s what he wore.”
  — Austin Dillon ([18:45])
• "I look at [Richard Childress] as like an Elvis of the garage ..."
  — Austin Dillon ([25:12])
• “We're fighters over here… come on over here, I’m gonna bite your knee off.”
  — Austin Dillon, referencing Monty Python ([33:37])
• “We made some really good hires ... finally getting to a point where you’re starting to see some of that.”
  — Austin Dillon ([21:58])
• “I love when our sport ties to military and patriotism. This could be a really patriotic moment for our sport.”
  — Austin Dillon ([58:32])
• “One more off weekend. Thank you, Jesus.”
  — Austin Dillon ([60:22])
• “You can fry a cat turd and it halfway be... you get enough grease in it.”
  — Austin Dillon ([56:28]) — in a hilarious discussion about his grandpa’s food choices at Dover.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Austin on Richmond win/family in Victory Lane: [02:51]–[07:13]
• RCR’s struggles, RC's radio comments, and turnaround: [17:08]–[21:57]
• Hiring Boswell & Klausmeier + internal resets: [21:24]–[23:34]
• The legacy of Childress and Petty, RCR's blue-collar identity: [23:34]–[33:56]
• Dillon and his team’s unique camaraderie: [39:37]–[41:38]
• Reviewing Austin Dillon’s career stats & perspective: [41:38]–[44:41]
• Reactions to 2026 NASCAR schedule: [53:56]–[62:46]
• NASCAR’s quest for core fans, proposed playoff ideas: [61:39]–[64:17]
• On moving the championship race away from Phoenix: [64:43]–[65:37]

Tone

• Authentic and humorous: Both men display their trademark dry wit, with banter about paint schemes, fried food, and family hijinks.
• Sentimental and candid: The love for RCR and its legacy is palpable throughout, especially in moments discussing family and the future.
• Technical when warranted: Dillon and Wallace geek out over the racing line at Richmond, pit strategy, and what it takes to succeed—both on the track and in the boardroom.

Conclusion

This episode celebrates the revival of RCR with heartfelt stories, technical insights, and plenty of inside-shop banter. Listeners gain a rare glimpse behind the scenes of a historic NASCAR team in transition, balanced by sharp, immediate reactions to the sport’s next evolution. The episode is both an oral history and a current events roundtable—a must-listen for fans vested in the heart and soul of stock car racing.