(born of
North Carolina .
Childress's career in NASCAR's top levels started auspiciously as a drivers' strike at
Talladega Superspeedway left NASCAR President
William France Sr. looking for replacement drivers. Childress was such a driver, and started his first race as a replacement.
By
1971 , Childress began racing on the top level as an independent driver, using the number 3 as a tribute to
Junior Johnson 's past as a driver. Although he never won as a driver, he had six top-5, seventy-six top-10 finishes, with a career-best of third in
1978 .
See Also: Richard Childress Racing
He retired from driving in 1981 after
Rod Osterlund sold his NASCAR team to
J.D. Stacy , and Osterlund's driver,
Dale Earnhardt , did not want to drive for Stacy. Childress, with recommendations from R. J. Reynolds Tobacco, chose to retire and put Earnhardt behind the wheel of his #3 car, complete with Wrangler Jeans sponsorship.
That first alliance lasted for the season.
Ricky Rudd was hired in
1982 and drove for two years, giving Childress his first career victory in June
1983 at
Riverside . Earnhardt returned for the 1984 season, and together with Childress formed one of the most potent combinations in NASCAR history. They won championships in
1986 ,
1987 ,
1990 ,
1991 ,
1993 , and
1994 .
In the mid-1990s, Childress began expanding his racing empire, fielding entries in the
Busch Series and
Craftsman Truck Series . The team won the 1995 Craftsman Truck Series championship with driver
Mike Skinner in the series' first season. He also expanded to a two-car operation in what is now known as Nextel Cup, with driver Skinner driving the #31. In the first part of the 2000s, he expanded to three cars, with the #30 car driven by
Jeff Green .
Tragically, Earnhardt would be killed in the
2001 Daytona 500 on the last lap. Childress promoted Busch driver
Kevin Harvick to drive the renumbered #29. Harvick would win in only his third start, at the
Atlanta Motor Speedway .
With Harvick having won the Busch Series championship in 2001 and 2006, RCR became the first team in NASCAR history to win all three of NASCAR's national championship series. RCR also won the Busch Series owners championships in 2003 with Kevin Harvick and Johnny Sauter and in 2006 with Harvick and Jeff Burton.
Richard Childress currently resides in one of the largest
Mansion s in northwestern
Davidson County, North Carolina . The Richard Childress Racing Museum is located in nearby
Welcome , along with numerous racing maintenance shops. The
Childress Vineyards Winery is located a few miles south of the museum in
Lexington at the
US 52 /
US 64 interchange. Childress remains active in his current county of residence, attending fundrasiers and supporting local candidates for office.
