The North Carolina team has earned more than 125 victories and nine NASCAR championships, including six Winston Cup Series (now known as the NEXTEL Cup) titles with the legendary driver Dale Earnhardt. It is also the first organization to win championships in the NEXTEL Cup Series, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series.

The MIA works tirelessly to strengthen its network of contacts within the worldwide motorsport industry, including the NASCAR sector, and the membership for RCR will open up the world market through the MIA’s membership on all continents.

Chris Aylett, CEO of the MIA, said “North Carolina, USA and Motorsport Valley in the UK are far closer than geography suggests. The culture of the motorsport businesses in both of these highly successful business communities is based on success. RCR’s decision to join the MIA and become the first NASCAR team to do so cements the closeness of those relationships. The MIA will offer access to a truly global motorsport business network from which RCR will gain commercial and competitive advantage. I am delighted that this outstanding company has chosen to join our membership, and we look forward to helping them succeed in whatever way we can.”

The RCR complex is located on 35 acres approximately 45 minutes north of Charlotte. The 14 buildings, nearly 450,000 square feet of shop space, includes separate shops for its NEXTEL Cup and Busch teams, engine building, engine research and development, fabrication, chassis research and development, parts manufacturing, and the 47,000-square-foot RCR Racing Museum.

“RCR is honored to be the first NASCAR team to be accepted into the Motorsport Industry Association,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “The process began when we hired Nick Hayes (former technical director for Cosworth) earlier this year to head our engine research and development program. Gaining a competitive edge in racing is very important, whether it’s NASCAR, Formula 1 or at the local dirt track. Being an MIA member will provide RCR with the opportunity to build relationships to achieve that edge and we hope to be able do the same for other members.”

The MIA is a truly global network and has a strong presence in both the UK and the US as well as a liaison office in the Far East. The MIA offers a wide range of motorsport-specific services including market research, conferences, networking events and exhibitions, as well as a number of trade missions to events in the US, the Gulf, and the Far East.