Childress’ storied career spans decades. As a child, he spent time at Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem, North Carolina’s local short track, selling peanuts and popcorn. Years later, in the fall of 1969, his first opportunity to compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned event arose and he established Richard Childress Racing. Childress drove his own car for 285 starts in NASCAR’s premier series before realizing that he needed to focus on team ownership to flourish at that level.

The moment that changed everything for Richard Childress Racing was when Dale Earnhardt became the permanent driver of the #3 car in 1984. Success came almost instantly, with their first win together at Talladega Superspeedway on July 29 of that year. It was the first of 67 wins Earnhardt would record under the Richard Childress Racing banner. The team has expanded exponentially since, competing in all three NASCAR national series, with Childress becoming the first team owner to win in all three.