Getty Austin Dillon is now the general manager of a PBR team.
The driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro will wear a new hat in 2022. He will serve as the general manager of a PBR (Professional Bull Riders) team based in North Carolina while continuing to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Dillon announced the news on Thursday, January 6, and confirmed that he will be the general manager of the Winston-Salem-based Carolina Chaos, which will compete in the inaugural PBR Team Series season. Richard Childress Racing also issued a press release and confirmed that the organization will run the team as it takes on the 10-event season. The Carolina Chaos will call Wake Forest’s Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum home.
Always fun to add to the professional resume! Happy to announce that the @PBR Team Series is coming to my home state of North Carolina. The Carolina Chaos will be based in Winston-Salem, and run by @RCRracing with yours truly serving as General Manager.
”I’ve always had an interest in the business side of sports, so I’m thrilled to get a chance at being the general manager of a PBR team alongside my grandfather,” Dillon said in a press release. “I grew up watching bull riders with my grandfather, so it’s special to be able to share this interest with him in our home state of North Carolina.”
The PBR Team Series Season Begins in June 2022
The first North Carolina-based PBR team will make its debut in June 2022 alongside seven other “founding teams” with a Team Series event. The inaugural schedule will include 10 events, and it will culminate with a trip to Las Vegas. The Team Series playoff event will take place at T-Mobile Arena on November 4-6, 2022.
The Carolina Chaos will host one of the events during the 10-week season. The other seven teams will also host events, taking the PBR team to Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Texas. There will also be two “neutral site” regular-season events.
The PBR Team Series season, playoffs, and championships will all air live on a variety of CBS platforms. The events will take place on either CBS Television Network or will stream live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, or Pluto TV.
Another PBR Team Has Ties to NASCAR
GettyAustin Dillon’s primary partner will also compete in the PBR Team Series.
One of the eight founding teams has other ties to NASCAR. Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris has purchased a PBR Team sanction. According to a press release from Cabelas, Morris’ PBR team will have the name of the Missouri Thunder, and it will have a home base of Ridgedale, Mo.
Bass Pro Shops has long been a supporter of several NASCAR drivers. The list includes Noah Gragson in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and both Martin Truex Jr. and Dillon in the NASCAR Cup Series. Dillon has also represented Bass Pro Shops in the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. Now the primary partner and the Cup Series driver will face off with each other in a different arena.
“Many of our customers are passionate PBR fans, and this is a great extension of our brand. We couldn’t be more excited to showcase some of the best bull riders in the world at the Thunder Ridge Nature Arena at Big Cedar Lodge, right here in the Ozarks. Hang on, it’s going to be a fun ride,” said Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops.