Someday the conversation on how Richard Childress has had to hold a team together after two generational talents had died. That has to be hard on a person.
Austin Dillon spoke for about 10 minutes about the past week at Richard Childress Racing and the company's reaction to the death of Kyle Busch.
>Dillon called this "one of the toughest weeks of RCR's history." Says "some of the nicest things that could be done were done" over the last week and mentioned what good care NASCAR & the garage area took of them.
>Dillon says the message this past week has been "ride for the brand". Believes Kyle would've wanted the team to do what they could and work as hard as possible to get back to Victory Lane. Also touched upon the conversation that Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt once had about what they would do if one of them died before their time.
>Dillon says the decision to who will drive Busch's car (now the No. 33) moving forward will be made over time. That said, he's excited for Austin Hill, who he called a "grizzly bear" and a "dawg" and said he's qualified
>Dillon says this has been "very hard" for Richard Childress and the situation has worn on him, but he also said his grandfather is a very resilient person. Childress and Austin's father Mike Dillon were at the hospital with Kyle, while Austin was at the shop and trying to keep the team updated on what was going on.
>Dillon said the letter he wrote to Kyle was written once he got home and felt like it was the biggest reason he could go forward. "It was from the heart, and it's how I felt about Kyle. And it's gonna hurt for a long time, but I know the character he was, he'd want us to go kick butt."
>RCR had a company-wide meeting this week in which team president Mike Verlander spoke to the entire team, which Dillon said was "beautiful" and commended the way he's gone through this. Motor Racing Outreach's Nick Terry then spoke (making comments that Dillon said were "very touching") before Dillon finished things off, before bringing things back to "hey, let's go out there and do what we can to make him proud."
>When asked about what he takes from the way his grandfather handled Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001, Dillon mentioned he was young at the time and didn't quite understand things as much. Going through it now, he mentioned the family and brotherhood aspect of RCR as well as how a lot of employees also went through Earnhardt's death. "Hopefully this time around, we can do the same thing that they did the last time around."
>When asked how he deals with this through his faith, Dillon cited Proverbs 3:5. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." He had also cited this part of the Bible in his letter to Kyle
>Dillon believes crew chief Andy Street "is the guy for the job" when it comes to leading the 8/33 team through the loss of their driver. Says Street is tough, that "he was there through everything" with Kyle Busch and had to witness a lot of things over the past week, and has a lot of support within the organization.
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Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years. But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams. I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible. We did some media together also to laugh through some of the things we put each other through many years ago. Most recently we had even been discussing him running my Late Model at Wilkesboro this summer. He seemed extremely happy and we had planned to meet up next Thursday to get his seat to the shop. He laughed over the idea of his fans and JRM fans having to cheer in unison during that race.
Kyle was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. No one can deny that. But he was also a father, a husband, brother, son, and a friend to many. My heart is broken for the Busch family. I will never be able to make sense of this loss but I am thankful that we had found a way to become friends.
Our hearts are broken for Samantha, Brexton, Lennix, and the entire Busch family. Kyle was a fierce competitor, an incredible teammate, and, far more importantly, a devoted husband, father, and son. His impact on our organization and on the sport of NASCAR will never be forgotten.
During this unimaginable time, everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and the Gibbs family are lifting the Busch family up in prayer.
We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport's greatest and fiercest drivers. He was 41 years old.
We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.
WAIT A MINUTE…
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THIS NEEDS CORRECTING.
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BIG NEWS in Prince George’s County... NBA Star and Maryland native Kevin Durant is part of a group planning to buy the old Six Flags site. Stay with @fox5dc for more details #breaking