Kyle Petty weighs in on Austin Dillon's role in Richard Childress Racing's evolution

Kyle Petty outlined his perspective on Austin Dillon's influence within Richard Childress Racing and the 'tough discussions' it takes to 'change the direction'. He explained how 'it's twice as hard' to be at loggerheads with your elders in a family-run business.

Following his surprise win at Richmond, Dillon addressed the challenges in moving RCR into the future. One among them is convincing his grandfather, Richard Childress, to change his ways as a team owner.

Childress has been in his role for 56 years, and it's not an easy task for Dillon to steer the ship elsewhere. Dillon has been in the Cup Series for over a decade, and his brother Ty Dillon has seen the inner workings of other teams like Kaulig Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Petty GMS Motorsports.

Given their extensive experience on the grid, it's only natural that the two brothers have their own ideas for RCR, but getting them working is not as easy. Petty echoed their sentiments in a short video on NASCAR.com:

"In a family business, it’s twice as hard because you have to respect your elders.You respect what Richard Childress has done. And Austin respects it. Ty respects it. So, you can’t come in and say, ‘Hey Pop Pop, everything you’re doing is wrong. We’re going to do it this way.’ You’ve got to plant that seed, you’ve got to work it. And those discussions are tough discussions," he said.

"We've heard Richard's comments, We've got to give oyu guys better cars. I think what we heard when we heard Austin talk about it is, Austin's saying, let Ty and I help you give us better cars. Let us help you change the direction of where RCR is going," Petty added.

With his Richmond win, Austin Dillon makes his sixth career playoff appearance, while he's currently ranked 25th in points. The result marks his only top-five finish of the season after 25 starts.

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Austin Dillon breaks down his unique approach to racing at Richmond

On the latest Dale Jr. Download podcast episode, Austin Dillon opened up on the low-line racing that worked in his favour at Richmond. Such a line is not as often used in the D-shaped oval, but the No.3 driver seems to have benefited from it as the track rubbered in.

"I feel like for whatever reason, the lower I can be, it just helps me for from a drive standpoint. I'm glad that no one really is aggressive down there where I'm at. I just kind of stay down there and do my own thing," he said via Youtube/DirtyMoMedia. [39:17 onwards]

Austin Dillon made the pass for the lead on the lower lane when he battled Ryan Blaney. Running near the apron has the added advantage of facing less dirty air from the lapped cars in front since most of them run in the middle or upper lanes of the track.