Top 10 Moments RCR 50

Top 10 Moments of Our 50th Anniversary

As the 50th anniversary of Richard Childress Racing comes to a close, we want to highlight our top 10 moments from this year. We’ll feature one of our favorite memories from the 2019 season each weekday through December 20th. It could be on-track or off-track. Nostalgic or glorious. Thrilling or remarkable. You get the picture. Anyway, with that said…

Here we go!

10. RC drives the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Pace Car at Indy

Before RC paced the field at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 this season, he took the time to show us his personal collection of Indy pace cars. Those Chevrolets still look like they could hammer down at IMS on any given Sunday. Impressive to say the least!

9. Dollymania

In April, Dolly Parton, one of the most iconic country singers of all time, graced Tyler Reddick’s No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro at Bristol Motor Speedway.

When we announced the news, pandemonium broke out across social media from nine to five. Racing enthusiasts, country music fans, and Dolly Parton followers could not contain their excitement; they flooded our inbox with words of joy and anticipation. Amidst the breaking news, we even got roasted by our friends at Texas Motor Speedway on Twitter for the teaser video we posted the day before the announcement. What nerve! In hindsight, we probably deserved it because the video (see tweet below) featured an archaic iPhone 6s with a headphone jack being used as a focal point. Oof. Rest assured, we’ve upgraded our tech since then and can now shoot in portrait mode for the ‘gram. I digress. Let’s get back on track.

As luck would have it, Tyler finished where he started in the 2019 Alsco 300, P2, behind the wheel of his vibrant No. 2 Dolly Parton Chevrolet. A strong finish for Reddick in a scheme that NASCAR nation will never forget!

8. Fox Sports NASCAR Race Hub Takeover

Finding a moment to top Dollymania in April would be tough to beat, or so we thought at the time. However, just a month later, we had the privilege of hosting the Fox Sports NASCAR Race Hub crew at the Richard Childress Racing Museum and Team Store. They filmed an RCR 50th Anniversary special edition of NASCAR Race Hub inside the museum. Drivers, crew chiefs, and pit crew members, past and present, were featured throughout the one-hour program. It was great to see old faces and hear stories that some of us had never heard before.

From the early stages of planning the set to actually filming the show, we can’t think our friends at Fox Sports enough for their hard work and effort. No doubt, this was definitely one of the coolest moments of our 50th anniversary. Before we forget, one more thing. None of this would be possible without our live audience that day. A huge thanks to all of the fans and folks who attended. We loved seeing your smiling faces on set!

Not every day can you say there was a professionally produced television show on the RCR campus in Welcome, NC.

7. Jack Daniel’s and RCR Reunite

One of the best schemes in NASCAR this year was created as a result of a rejuvenated partnership between two familiar entities.

To the delight of many, and we mean many, Jack Daniel’s returned to Richard Childress Racing as a partner on Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in September. The iconic brand rejoined the organization after serving as the primary partner on the No. 07 Chevrolet from 2005 until 2009.

Throughout the race weekend, Jack Daniel’s branding was proudly displayed in the garage with fans chomping at the bit to get a glimpse of Old No. 7 on the prestigious No. 3 Chevrolet. You couldn’t miss the black and white livery roaring around the Roval.

Who knows, maybe we’ll see Jack & RCR collaborate again in the future. But until then, pace yourself and drink responsibly.

6. Fan Day

Another memorable event in 2019 was Fan Day! This was the perfect way to wrap up our year-long 50th anniversary celebration. On October 25th, we opened up the RCR campus to all fans as a way to say thank you for your continued support. Rain was in the forecast earlier that week, but it turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day in Welcome, North Carolina.

If you couldn’t attend Fan Day, here’s a list of a few things that were featured during the event: driver autograph sessions, pit stop demonstrations, activities for children, panel-style question-and-answer sessions with key personnel and former crew chiefs, self-guided tours of the RCR Cup and Xfinity Series shop, hauler send-off, and an interactive NASCAR Heat 4 gaming station.

Thanks again to all of our fans for coming out and supporting us. We appreciate ya! Also, a huge thank you goes out to the dozens of partners who attended as well as all of the RCR/ECR/Okuma/RPM/Germain/Kaulig employees that helped plan, organize, and ensure it was the best experience for everyone. Thank you!

5. RCR 50th Gold Chevrolets

To coincide with our 50th anniversary plans for 2019, we ran gold Chevrolets at Daytona to kick off our year-long celebration. We’re very proud of how sharp and stunning the Chevys turned out to be. You couldn’t miss them whenever they were on track! And like always, the RCR Graphics Center Powered by Roland nailed it with the wrapping job. Kudos.

4. NASCAR Hall of Fame Exhibit 

Last December, RCR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame announced plans to co-create and launch a special exhibit, “RCR 50: Only in America”.

The exhibit opened in May 2019 and currently features several RCR cars as well as numerous mementos and memorabilia. A few months ago, RC loaned the Hall of Fame two of the most prestigious race cars in the RCR Museum; Dale’s 1998 Daytona 500 winning Chevrolet and Austin’s winning Chevy from the 2018 Great American Race.

Both were on display at the Hall of Fame for several days to give fans a chance to see them in person. Since then, those race cars have been brought back to their home at the RCR Museum in Welcome, but good news, the RCR 50: Only in America exhibit is open until February 8, 2020! That’s right! You still have a couple of months to view iconic pieces of RCR history in person at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. We’re very proud of the partnership we have with the Hall and thrilled about the success of the exhibit this past year. A job well done by all involved.

3. Sunoco Rookie of the Year

Hats off to Daniel Hemric on winning the 2019 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award! Hemric edged out Ryan Preece in the driver standings to earn this special NASCAR Cup Series accolade.

The No. 8 team faced plenty of adversity throughout the season but fought hard to secure Hemric’s first career pole award in the Cup Series, coming at Kansas Speedway in October. Even though he won’t be driving for us in 2020, we wish Daniel nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

2. RC & Johnny Morris Pace the Field at ‘Dega in Dale’s 2000 No. 3 Chevrolet

Chills. That’s the best way to describe how everyone felt in Talladega on October 13, 2019, when Richard Childress and his good friend Johnny Morris, founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, paced the field in Dale Earnhardt’s 2000 No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet. This was the exact same race car that Dale drove at Talladega Superspeedway in 2000 when he remarkably maneuvered his way through the field and into Victory Lane. The car itself may have been cleaned up a bit, but yes, that was the car.

RCR and Talladega are somewhat synonymous with each other when recounting the beginning of Richard Childress’ career. Talladega is where RC got his big break in NASCAR and started Richard Childress Racing in 1969. The two organizations celebrated their 50th anniversaries this year and wanted to make a big splash at the race in October. To bring back the winning No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet that Dale wheeled in 2000 was a bold, yet essential move.

A crowd of fans, crew members, and drivers gathered around the car on pit road that day to witness one of NASCAR’s most iconic race cars. It was a healing moment for many to see the famed No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevy again, and the reaction on social media reflected this sentiment. We’ll never forget the roar of the crowd and the glorious sound of that old Chevrolet hammering down in Talladega. Thank you to RC and Talladega Superspeedway staff for making this happen!

1. Reddick Wins the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

Without a doubt, this accomplishment takes the cake and is the No. 1 moment of our 50th anniversary. Tyler Reddick capped off an illustrious year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series after he put on a riveting show at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win the season finale and 2019 championship. What. A. Night. We’ll leave it at that. Congratulations to Tyler, the No. 2 team, and all RCR and ECR employees on a well-deserved championship. Let’s continue this momentum into 2020. Cheers!