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Take a Look Inside Richard Childress’ NASCAR Hall of Fame Exhibit

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  • Childress signed the 1979 driver’s agreement in hopes that he could finish again inside the top 10 to receive the bonus money promised to the drivers.
  • Childress won his first championship in 1986 with Earnhardt behind the wheel. The two reunited two years earlier despite criticism that Earnhardt was “past his prime” and “too old to drive stock cars.” It was Earnhardt’s second Winston Cup championship and the first of six that he won in the legendary No. 3 car.
  • From 1969 to 1994, RCR was a single-car team. But when NASCAR expanded and added a third national series in 1995, Childress expanded his operations and built a second team. Mike Skinner drove the No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet Silverado to Victory Lane eight times and captured the inaugural Craftsman Truck Series championship.
  • Austin Dillon delivered RCR its second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship in 2011. The 25 pound, shiny silver trophy will be enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame for one year, representing RCR’s success as the first team to win in all three of NASCAR national touring series, but more importantly as a family business.
  • After every win, pole or award, Childress writes a note on the inside of his signature tan Chevrolet hat in black ink. He wears the same hat on every race day, and has been doing so since the early 2000s. By the end of the season, the hat is beaten and battered, lined with dirt and sweat marks, but serves as a piece of memorabilia.
  • Today’s NASCAR driver can often times have up to 10 firesuits per season – but when Childress was a driver, he only had one.
  • Up until 2002, Childress’ wore the same crew uniforms his team wore, sporting his sponsor logos across the chest and a pair of black trousers.
  • Childress often times didn’t have the nicest and newest parts or gear – his helmets were sometimes hand-me-downs, painted by a friend and used for multiple seasons.
  • Dale Earnhardt captured the second-ever NASCAR race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 5, 1995. When he entered Victory Lane, a wreath was placed on the hood of his car as tradition at IMS.
  • Childress is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 and has repeatedly said winning the Great American Race in 1998 with Dale Earnhardt is the most memorable win of his career.
  • RCR captured its first NASCAR victory on June 5, 1983 at Riverside Raceway with Ricky Rudd behind the wheel. Childress had retired from driving two years earlier and turned driving duties over to Rudd.
  • Childress’ success in the late 1980s sparked a relationship with one of NASCAR’s biggest fans – Hank Williams Jr.
  • As a token for winning the Winston Cup Championship, each driver and owner was given an oval-shaped, silver belt buckle at the end of year banquet. Childress collected six – one for each of his championships.