WELCOME, N.C. -- The trumpeter played "The Star-Spangled Banner" as dozens of people sang along in unison. The veterans inside the halls of Richard Childress Racing rendered a hand salute. The civilians stood at attention with their hands over their hearts.
This marked the start of Veterans Coffee, a monthly event held inside the halls of the Welcome-based race team. Dozens of veterans head to RCR on the second Wednesday of each month, and they spend more than two hours together. They drink coffee, eat pastries, and occasionally tease each other about whether they could still fit in a tank years after retirement.
Sometimes, as was the case on May 14, they watch Richard Childress Racing unveil a special paint scheme for an upcoming race. Austin Dillon did that this week as he revealed the No. 3 Dow/Team Rubicon Chevrolet that he will drive at North Wilkesboro Speedway during the All-Star Race. He will carry the names of 1,600 veterans while racing for $1 million.
Unveiling a new scheme is nothing new for Dillon, but he recognizes the significance when he can do so in front of veterans from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
"It's so awesome to see when they call each branch out, to see the men and women stand up to represent their branch," Dillon told AltDriver on Wednesday. "And the pride that they have for serving our country. And then we get to show them a little love at the race track with our car and names on our race car.
"It's always a good time to spend time with our veterans."
Austin Dillon and @RCRracing unveil the patriotic Dow and Team Rubicon Chevrolet that he will drive during the All-Star Race at @NWBSpeedway pic.twitter.com/HVzmNBH0TZ
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) May 14, 2025
Dillon, whose fueler, Tyler Rader, was an Army Ranger, didn't just show up and pull the cover off of the No. 3 Chevrolet. He sat at a table in the banquet hall and spoke at length with a representative from Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization. They discussed many topics, including whether Dillon could use a tank to move other drivers out of the way on the track.
Richard Childress Racing has long been vocal about its support for the military and veterans, but how did its shop become the home of this monthly event?
"Well, my grandfather (Richard Childress) gets the credit for it," Dillon said. "He really pushes everyone here to make sure that we're doing what we can to give back to our veterans."
Veterans Bridge Home, an organization focused on supporting veterans and providing resources to them, had begun holding these monthly coffee events. These helped bring the veteran community together so its members could share stories and reconnect. If they wanted to talk to representatives from veteran resource centers, they had that opportunity.
Don Timmons, a community engagement manager for Veterans Bridge Home, explained on Wednesday that he had initially asked Childress about a potential partnership for space purposes. As he tells the story, he did not even get the question out of his mouth before the NASCAR team owner agreed.
Nearly a decade later, this partnership is still going strong, and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down. It certainly won't stop as leadership changes take place inside the NASCAR team.
"I'm very proud of him as a grandson, just teaching me about the importance of our military men and women and the sacrifices that they make," Dillon said. "And it's something that I hope that we continue forever, or as long as I'm here."