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Richard Childress (born September 21, 1945 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Winston-Salem is also the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County, North Carolina and the fourth-largest city in the state....
) is a former NASCAR
NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is the largest sanctioning body of stock cars in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series....
 driver and successful team owner of Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing

RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina. The team currently fields the #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet Impala for Casey Mears, the #29 Royal Dutch Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick, the #31 Caterpillar Inc....
 (RCR) in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. As a business entrepreneur, Childress has become one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
. A recent successful business venture was the 2003/2004 opening of a in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area

An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geography features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
 located in North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
.

dress' career in NASCAR's top levels started auspiciously as a drivers' strike at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway

Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located in Talladega, Alabama, United States. It was constructed in the 1960s in place of abandoned airport runways by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by NASCAR's founding France family along with Daytona International Speedway and several other racetracks....
 left NASCAR President William France Sr.
William France Sr.

William "Bill" Henry Getty France, Sr. "Big Bill" , was the co-founder of NASCAR, the sanctioning body of United States-based stock car racing....
 looking for replacement drivers.






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Richard Childress (born September 21, 1945 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Winston-Salem is also the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County, North Carolina and the fourth-largest city in the state....
) is a former NASCAR
NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is the largest sanctioning body of stock cars in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series....
 driver and successful team owner of Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing

RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina. The team currently fields the #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet Impala for Casey Mears, the #29 Royal Dutch Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick, the #31 Caterpillar Inc....
 (RCR) in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. As a business entrepreneur, Childress has become one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
. A recent successful business venture was the 2003/2004 opening of a in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area

An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geography features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
 located in North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
.

Driving career

Childress' career in NASCAR's top levels started auspiciously as a drivers' strike at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway

Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located in Talladega, Alabama, United States. It was constructed in the 1960s in place of abandoned airport runways by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by NASCAR's founding France family along with Daytona International Speedway and several other racetracks....
 left NASCAR President William France Sr.
William France Sr.

William "Bill" Henry Getty France, Sr. "Big Bill" , was the co-founder of NASCAR, the sanctioning body of United States-based stock car racing....
 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
Junior Johnson

Robert Glen Johnson, Jr. , known as Junior Johnson, was a moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s....
's past as a driver. Although he never won as a driver, he proved to be excellent behind the wheel registering six top-5, seventy-six top-10 finishes, with a career-best of third in 1978.

Ownership of Richard Childress Racing

He retired from driving in 1981 after Rod Osterlund
Rod Osterlund

Rod Osterlund was a NASCAR Nextel Cup car owner spanning from 1977 - 1981, and then again from 1989 - 1991....
 sold his NASCAR team to J.D. Stacy, and Osterlund's driver, Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt

Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his career driving stock cars in NASCAR's Winston Cup. Earnhardt had four children, Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Taylor 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
Ricky Rudd

Ricky Rudd is a retired American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Nationwide Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is tied with Rusty Wallace for the longest streak of consecutive seasons with a victory, his lasting from 1983 to 1998....
 was hired in 1982 and drove for two years, giving Childress his first career victory in June 1983 at Riverside
Riverside International Raceway

Riverside International Raceway was a race track or Road racing in Riverside, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989....
. 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
Busch Series

The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit , and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Sprint Cup....
 and Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR. It is the only series in all of NASCAR to race modified production pickup trucks and is one of the three national divisions of NASCAR, together with the Nationwide Series and the top level Sprint Cup....
. The team won the 1995 Craftsman Truck Series championship with driver Mike Skinner
Mike Skinner (NASCAR)

Mike Skinner, born in Ontario, California, is a NASCAR driver from Susanville, California, California now living in Daytona Beach, Florida, Florida....
 in the series' first season. He also expanded to a two-car operation in what is now known as the Sprint 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
Jeff Green (NASCAR)

Jeff Green is an American stock car racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He is currently employed with Key Motorsports driving the #40 NASCAR Craftsman Truck & #31 Nationwide Series race vehicles....
.

Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500
2001 Daytona 500

The 43rd annual Daytona 500 was held February 18, 2001 at Daytona International Speedway. Bill Elliott won the pole. The race will be forever remembered for the final lap....
. Childress promoted Busch driver Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick

Kevin Michael Harvick is an United States race car driver and car owner, competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup for Richard Childress Racing, driving the #29 Shell Pennzoil car....
 to drive the renumbered #29. Harvick would win in only his third start, at the Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway

Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track in Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta, Georgia. It is a 1.54-mile quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000....
.

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 2007 with Scott Wimmer and Jeff Burton.

Childress in Davidson County

Richard Childress currently resides in one of the largest mansion
Mansion

A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives from the Latin word mansio In the Roman Empire, a mansio was an official stopping place on a Roman road, or via, where cities sprang up, and where the villas of provincial officials came to be placed....
s in northwestern Davidson County, North Carolina
Davidson County, North Carolina

Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 147,246. Its county seat is Lexington, North Carolina....
. The Richard Childress Racing Museum is located in nearby Welcome
Welcome, North Carolina

Welcome is a census-designated place in Davidson County, North Carolina, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,538 at the 2000 census....
, along with numerous racing maintenance shops. The Childress Vineyards
Childress Vineyards

Childress Vineyards is a winery that opened in northern Davidson County, North Carolina in 2003. The vineyard is located in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area....
 winery
Winery

A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a :Category:wine companies. Some wine companies own many wineries....
 is located a few miles south of the museum in Lexington
Lexington, North Carolina

Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 19,953....
 at the US 52/US 64 interchange. Childress remains active in his current county of residence, attending fundrasiers and supporting local candidates for office.

Current Sprint Cup drivers

  • 07 - Casey Mears
    Casey Mears

    Casey James Mears is the driver of the #07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Impala in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing. He is the nephew of four time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and the son of Indy and off-road veteran Roger Mears....
  • 29 - Kevin Harvick
    Kevin Harvick

    Kevin Michael Harvick is an United States race car driver and car owner, competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup for Richard Childress Racing, driving the #29 Shell Pennzoil car....
  • 31 - Jeff Burton
    Jeff Burton

    Jeffrey Brian Burton also sometimes referred to as "JB" is a Sprint Cup Series driver. He drives the #31 Caterpillar Inc. Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing....
  • 33 - Clint Bowyer
    Clint Bowyer

    Clint Bowyer is an American NASCAR driver. He currently pilots the #33 General Mills/BB&T/The Hartford Chevrolet Impala Super Sport in the Sprint Cup Series and the #29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet Impala Super Sport in the Nationwide Series part-time, both for Richard Childress Racing....


Current Nationwide Series drivers

  • 2 - Clint Bowyer
    Clint Bowyer

    Clint Bowyer is an American NASCAR driver. He currently pilots the #33 General Mills/BB&T/The Hartford Chevrolet Impala Super Sport in the Sprint Cup Series and the #29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet Impala Super Sport in the Nationwide Series part-time, both for Richard Childress Racing....
  • 21 - Austin Dillon
  • 29 - Jeff Burton
    Jeff Burton

    Jeffrey Brian Burton also sometimes referred to as "JB" is a Sprint Cup Series driver. He drives the #31 Caterpillar Inc. Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing....
     , Stephen Leicht
    Stephen Leicht

    Stephen Leicht is an United States stock car driver. He is a member of Richard Childress Racing. He drives the #29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Richard Childress Racing, sharing the ride with Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer....


Former Sprint Cup drivers

  • 3 - Dale Earnhardt
    Dale Earnhardt

    Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his career driving stock cars in NASCAR's Winston Cup. Earnhardt had four children, Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Taylor Earnhardt....
  • 3 - Ricky Rudd
    Ricky Rudd

    Ricky Rudd is a retired American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Nationwide Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is tied with Rusty Wallace for the longest streak of consecutive seasons with a victory, his lasting from 1983 to 1998....
  • 07 - Dave Blaney
    Dave Blaney

    David Blaney is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He currently pilots the #66 Toyota Camry for Prism Motorsports. Blaney was a successful Sprint car racing driver before he started racing in NASCAR....
  • 30 - Jeff Green
    Jeff Green (NASCAR)

    Jeff Green is an American stock car racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He is currently employed with Key Motorsports driving the #40 NASCAR Craftsman Truck & #31 Nationwide Series race vehicles....
  • 30 - Steve Park
    Steve Park (NASCAR)

    Stephen Park is a professional Auto racing driver. Park is currently racing in the #35 Waste Management Inc. Recycle America Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Camping World East Series 2008 in NASCAR....
  • 31 - Mike Skinner
    Mike Skinner (NASCAR)

    Mike Skinner, born in Ontario, California, is a NASCAR driver from Susanville, California, California now living in Daytona Beach, Florida, Florida....
  • 31 - Robby Gordon
    Robby Gordon

    Robert W. Gordon is an American racing driver who currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, owning his #7 Toyota Camry, sponsored by Jim Beam, and also owning his #55 Jim Beam/Camping World ride which competes part-time in the Nationwide Series, he has also raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Champ Car, the Indy Racing...
  • 30 - Johnny Sauter
    Johnny Sauter

    Jonathan Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter , and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter....
  • 30 - Dave Blaney
    Dave Blaney

    David Blaney is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He currently pilots the #66 Toyota Camry for Prism Motorsports. Blaney was a successful Sprint car racing driver before he started racing in NASCAR....


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